Number of unpartnered US adults declined for first time in nearly 20 years: ‘Singledom has peaked’

Is the single season over?

The number of unpartnered adults (unmarried, living with a partner, or in a committed relationship) has fallen for the first time in nearly 20 years. That's good news for men's wallets.

About 42% of adults will not have a partner in 2023, down from a peak of 44% in 2019. That's according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data.

Meanwhile, the proportion of adults who are married increased slightly from 2019 to 2023, from 50% to 51%, and the proportion of adults living with an unmarried partner increased from 6% to 7%.

“Singleness has reached its peak,” said Dr. Richard Fry, a labor economist who conducted the study. told CBS News.

However, this does not mean that more people are getting married.

Although the marriage rate has remained stable, the divorce rate, which peaked at 2% in 2012, has fallen to an all-time low of 1.4% in 2023.

“Over the past 10 years of practice, I have noticed a gradual shift from a ‘romantic marriage’ to a ‘companion marriage’, i.e. closer to a best friend than a passionate partner to begin with. “More people are choosing their spouses,” says Ian Kerner, a certified marriage and family therapist. told CNNexplains the downfall of divorce.

But are people still sitting at single-person tables?

The likelihood of not having a partner varies by race, education, and birth status.

About 61% of black adults do not have a partner, compared to 45% of Hispanic adults, 38% of white adults, and 35% of Asian adults.

On the other hand, those with at least a bachelor's degree and who were born in the United States are more likely to not have a partner.

Men under 40 are more likely than women of the same age to be without a partner. However, when reaching the big 4:0 figure, women are more likely to be without a partner, with 51% of women over 65 being single compared to just 29% of men in the same age group. .

And they're OK with that.

A recent study found that women enjoy flying solo far more than men Published in Social Psychology and Personality Science Found it.

For every question, single women said they were more satisfied with their lives than single men. They were happier alone, less likely to seek a romantic partner, more sexually satisfied, and more satisfied overall.

Experts said that single men “have more to gain from partnering than single women.”

“From a purely economic perspective, adults with partners appear to be better off financially,” Fry said. This was especially true for men.

Only about 64% of adults without a partner said they were at least financially OK, compared to 77% of adults with a partner. But men suffer even more financially when they're on their own, and single men are far less likely to be employed than men with a partner.

“Financially successful men are more attractive partners, but they can also be more 'work-successful' in marriage,” Fry says.

“Men become more productive when they get married.”