New estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show that married couples now make up less than half of all U.S. households, marking a notable change over the past 50 years. In 2025, only 47% of households consisted of married couples, compared to nearly two-thirds (66%) in 1975.
The data also indicate changes within married-couple households. In 1975, more than half (54%) of these households had their own children under age 18. By 2025, this share dropped to about 37%. The proportion of families with their own children under age 18 in the household declined from 54% in 1975 to 39% in 2025.
Single-person households have become more common as well. In 2025, there were approximately 39.7 million one-person households, representing about 29% of all households—an increase from just 20% in 1975.
There has also been an increase in older householders. The portion of householders aged 65 and older rose from one in five in 1975 to over one in four by 2025.
Marriage trends have shifted too; the estimated median age at first marriage reached a record high—30.8 for men and 28.4 for women—increasing from ages 23.5 and 21.1 respectively in the mid-1970s.
Living arrangements among young adults are also changing. More than half (58%) of adults ages 18 to 24 lived with their parents in early adulthood, while only about one-sixth (16%) of those aged between ages 25 and 34 did so.
These statistics come from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) for the years 2025 and 1975, which has tracked family trends for more than six decades.
The Census Bureau states: “All comparative statements have undergone statistical testing, and, unless otherwise noted, all comparisons are statistically significant at the 10 percent significance level.”
Further information on definitions, confidentiality protection measures, methodology details, sampling errors and other technical documentation is available at https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar25.pdf on census.gov.
