The shrinking share of married adults under age 65 has occurred across all demographic groups and is most significant among young adults. Only 26% of adults under age 35 were married in 2016, compared with 44% in 1990. Middle-aged adults are much more likely to be married than younger adults. However, even among those ages 35 to 64, the share of currently married is down by about 10 percentage points since 1990.
The marriage divide between college graduates and those without a college education has grown wider in the past two decades. Among adults ages 18 to 64, the proportion of currently married is down 15 percentage points for young adults without a college degree, but only 6% for college graduates. By 2016, 61% of college graduates were currently married, compared with only 43% of those without a college education.
