NCFMR
Family Profiles
Family Profiles
examine
topics related
to NCFMR’s
core research
themes. Data are
presented at both
the national and
state levels using
new data sources.
Written for both
researchers
and broad
communities,
these profiles
summarize the
latest statistics on
U.S. families.
FP-09-03
Median Age at First Marriage in the U.S., 2008
Change in Median Age at First Marriage, 1970 - 2008
•Median age at first marriage in
the U. S. has increased steadily
Figure 1. Median Age at First Marriage in the U.S., 1970-2008
since 1970.
•In 2008, median age at first
28.0
marriage was 28 years old
26.8
for men and 26 years old for
26.2
26.1
women. This means that half of
25.1
men were younger than 28 years
24.7
23.9
old, and half of women were
23.2
younger than 26 years old when
22.0
they married for the first time.
20.8
•The gender gap in median age at
first marriage has remained stable
over the past 38 years.
18
1970
1980
1990
2000
2008
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2005; American
Community Survey, 2008
Median Age at First Marriage Among Racial/Ethnic Groups, 2008
•Median age at first marriage is highest for non-Hispanic Black men (30.1 years) and lowest for
Hispanic women (25.4 years).
•The gender gap in median age at first marriage is the smallest among non-Hispanic Blacks (0.3
years) and the largest among Asians (3.1 years).
Table 1. Median Age at First Marriage by Race/Ethnicity, 2008
Men
Women
Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic Black
Hispanic
27.5
25.9
30.1
29.8
27.5
25.4
American Indian &
Alaska Native
28.9
26.6
Native Hawaiian and
Other Pacific Islander
28.4
28.0
Asian
Men
Women
29.6
26.5
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2008
005 Williams Hall • Bowling Green State University • Bowling Green, OH 43403
http://ncfmr.bgsu.edu • 419.372.4910 • [email protected]
Men
Women
NCFMR
Family Profiles
Median Age at First Marriage by Gender and Geography, 2008
•States with the highest median ages at first marriage are clustered in the Northeast.
•Some Midwest and Mountain West states tend to have the lowest median ages at first marriage.
Figures 2 and 3. Median Age at First Marriage by Gender and Geography
Men
Women
Qua rti l es
Qua rti l es
25.4 - 26.7
23.5 - 25.0
26.8 - 27.7
25.2 - 25.9
27.8 - 28.7
26.0 - 26.7
29.0 - 31.5
26.8 - 29.7
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2008
Five States with the Highest and Lowest Median Age at First Marriage, 2008
•For both men and women, Washington DC has the highest median age at first marriage (31.5 years
and 29.7 years, respectively).
•For men, Idaho has the lowest median age at first marriage (25.4 years), and for women, Utah has
the lowest median age at first marriage (23.5 years).
•For ranking tables with all states, click here.
Tables 2 and 3: Five States with Highest and Lowest Median Age at First Marriage
Men
Women
Ranking
State
Median
1
2
3
4
4
Wash, DC
Rhode Island
New York
Massachusetts
New Jersey
United States
Kansas
Utah
Arkansas
Oklahoma
Idaho
31.5
30.3
30.0
29.8
29.8
28.0
26.1
26.1
25.9
25.7
25.4
47
47
49
50
51
Ranking
1
2
2
4
5
47
48
49
50
50
State
Wash, DC
Connecticut
Massachusetts
New York
Rhode Island
United States
Wyoming
Oklahoma
Arkansas
Idaho
Utah
Median
29.7
28.2
28.2
28.1
27.8
26.2
24.5
24.4
24.3
23.5
23.5
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2008
2
NCFMR
Family Profiles
Return to Previous Page
Table 4: Median Age at First Marriage for Men
Ranking
1
2
3
4
4
6
7
8
9
10
11
11
11
11
15
15
15
18
19
19
21
22
23
24
25
25
27
27
27
30
30
30
30
34
35
36
36
36
36
36
41
42
43
43
45
46
47
47
49
50
51
State
Wash, DC
Rhode Island
New York
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Connecticut
New Hampshire
Maryland
California
Florida
Illinois
Maine
Michigan
Montana
Delaware
Hawaii
Pennsylvania
Vermont
New Mexico
Wyoming
United States
Arizona
Nevada
South Carolina
North Dakota
Alaska
Oregon
Georgia
Washington
Wisconsin
Colorado
Minnesota
Ohio
Virginia
North Carolina
Louisiana
Alabama
Indiana
Kentucky
Missouri
Texas
Iowa
Tennessee
Nebraska
West Virginia
Mississippi
South Dakota
Kansas
Utah
Arkansas
Oklahoma
Idaho
Table 5: Median Age at First Marriage for Women
Median
Margin of Error
Ranking
31.5
30.3
30.0
29.8
29.8
29.4
29.3
29.2
29.0
28.7
28.6
28.6
28.6
28.6
28.5
28.5
28.5
28.4
28.3
28.3
28.0
28.0
27.9
27.8
27.7
27.6
27.6
27.5
27.5
27.5
27.4
27.4
27.4
27.4
27.3
27.2
26.9
26.9
26.9
26.9
26.9
26.8
26.7
26.5
26.5
26.4
26.3
26.1
26.1
25.9
25.7
25.4
+/-2.6
+/-0.7
+/-0.2
+/-0.3
+/-0.2
+/-0.3
+/-0.9
+/-0.3
+/-0.2
+/-0.4
+/-0.3
+/-0.8
+/-0.3
+/-1.2
+/-0.9
+/-0.8
+/-0.3
+/-1.4
+/-0.8
+/-0.9
+/-0.2
+/-0.7
+/-0.7
+/-0.5
+/-1.0
+/-1.6
+/-0.6
+/-0.4
+/-0.4
+/-0.4
+/-0.5
+/-0.3
+/-0.3
+/-0.4
+/-0.4
+/-0.5
+/-0.5
+/-0.4
+/-0.5
+/-0.4
+/-0.2
+/-0.3
+/-0.4
+/-0.4
+/-0.5
+/-0.4
+/-0.6
+/-0.3
+/-0.4
+/-0.4
+/-0.2
+/-0.4
1
2
2
4
5
6
7
8
9
9
9
12
12
14
15
15
17
18
18
20
20
22
23
23
23
23
27
27
29
30
30
32
32
32
35
35
35
38
38
40
40
42
43
43
45
46
47
48
49
50
50
State
Wash, DC
Connecticut
Massachusetts
New York
Rhode Island
New Jersey
Maryland
Vermont
Hawaii
Illinois
Pennsylvania
California
South Carolina
Michigan
Maine
New Hampshire
Florida
Delaware
Ohio
United States
New Mexico
North Carolina
Wisconsin
Arizona
Minnesota
Mississippi
Virginia
Georgia
Oregon
Indiana
Nevada
Washington
Colorado
Louisiana
Missouri
Alaska
Iowa
Montana
North Dakota
South Dakota
Nebraska
Texas
Alabama
Kentucky
Tennessee
Kansas
West Virginia
Wyoming
Oklahoma
Arkansas
Idaho
Utah
Median
Margin of Error
29.7
28.2
28.2
28.1
27.8
27.6
27.3
27.1
26.8
26.8
26.8
26.7
26.7
26.6
26.5
26.5
26.4
26.3
26.3
26.2
26.2
26.2
26.1
26.0
26.0
26.0
26.0
25.9
25.9
25.8
25.7
25.7
25.6
25.6
25.6
25.5
25.5
25.5
25.4
25.4
25.3
25.3
25.2
25.0
25.0
24.9
24.6
24.5
24.4
24.3
23.5
23.5
+/-0.9
+/-0.4
+/-0.4
+/-0.3
+/-1.0
+/-0.3
+/-0.5
+/-1.2
+/-1.1
+/-0.3
+/-0.2
+/-0.2
+/-0.5
+/-0.2
+/-0.5
+/-0.5
+/-0.3
+/-0.6
+/-0.2
+/-0.1
+/-0.7
+/-0.3
+/-0.2
+/-0.3
+/-0.2
+/-0.4
+/-0.3
+/-0.2
+/-0.3
+/-0.2
+/-0.4
+/-0.2
+/-0.2
+/-0.3
+/-0.2
+/-0.9
+/-0.2
+/-0.6
+/-0.5
+/-0.5
+/-0.3
+/-0.2
+/-0.3
+/-0.2
+/-0.2
+/-0.3
+/-0.5
+/-1.1
+/-0.3
+/-0.4
+/-0.8
+/-0.5
Suggested
Citation:
Kawamura, S.
(2009).
Median Age at
First Marriage in
the U.S., 2008
(FP-09-03).
National Center
for Family &
Marriage Research.
Retrieved from
http://ncfmr.
bgsu.edu/pdf/
family_profiles/
file100745.pdf
This project was
supported with
a grant from the
U.S. Department
of Health and
Human
Services, Office
of the Assistant
Secretary for
Planning and
Evaluation, grant
number 5 UOI
AEOOOOOI-05.
The opinions
and conclusions
expressed herein
are solely those of
the author(s)
and should not
be construed as
representing the
opinions or policy
of any agency of
the federal
government.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2008
3