Number of unmarried couples living together in the US has TRIPLED over the past two decades

  • The number of unmarried couples living together has tripled in the US over the past two decades
  • Statistics were revealed in a  U.S. Census Bureau report released last week
  • Report showed the number of unmarried cohabitating couples jumped from 6million in 1996 to 19.1million in 2018
  • Reason for spike is due to greater social acceptance of cohabitation 
  • Cohabitation is also viewed as an alternative to marriage for socially disadvantaged groups 
  • Today 48.5 percent of people age 18 to 34 are unmarried and live together 

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: | Updated:

The number of unmarried partners living together in the United States has tripled over the past two decades - likely because of the wide acceptance of cohabitation among Millennials and Generation X.  

A report released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that the number of unmarried couples living together jumped from 6million in 1996 to a whopping 19.1 million in 2018, marking a massive jump in about two decades.   

Experts believe the staggering jump is caused by one of two theories. Firstly, there's been a widespread acceptance of cohabitation by a swath of social and demographic groups and secondly, cohabitation is viewed as an alternative to marriage for socially disadvantaged groups. 

Another report found that Millennials are getting married at a later age than the generations before them.  

The number of unmarried couples living together has tripled in the US over the past two decades, likely because of the wide acceptance of cohabitation among Millennials and Generation X

The number of unmarried couples living together has tripled in the US over the past two decades, likely because of the wide acceptance of cohabitation among Millennials and Generation X

This graph breaks down the percentage of cohabitating households by age group and shows that the number of unmarried couples living together has increased for people aged 35 and up. Today 48.5 percent of people age 18 to 34 are unmarried and live together

This graph breaks down the percentage of cohabitating households by age group and shows that the number of unmarried couples living together has increased for people aged 35 and up. Today 48.5 percent of people age 18 to 34 are unmarried and live together

The report reveals that the number of unmarried couples living together increased over time for people aged 35 and up. 

In 2017, 48.5 of people age 18 to 35 were unmarried and live together, a slight decrease from the 59.8 percent of unmarried couples in 1996. 

Also in 2017, 45.4 percent of people age 35 to 64 were cohabitating - a major jump from the same age group in 1996 that clocked at 37.9 percent back then. 

The report sees a majority of couples living together as Millennials, meaning people who are born between 1981 and 1996 and range between 22 and 37 years old. 

It also affects Generation X, meaning people born between 1965 and 1980, in the age range of 38 to 53 years old.   

This chart shows that the number of unmarried couples living together is mostly white, following by Hispanics, then Black  non-Hispanic people in both 1996 and 2017

This chart shows that the number of unmarried couples living together is mostly white, following by Hispanics, then Black  non-Hispanic people in both 1996 and 2017

This chart shows that cohabitating households used to make predominantly less than $30,000 a year. But in 2017 that number decreased and the number of higher income unmarried couples increased

This chart shows that cohabitating households used to make predominantly less than $30,000 a year. But in 2017 that number decreased and the number of higher income unmarried couples increased 

A study in February revealed that Millennials are less likely to be married at the same age previous generations were. This graph shows how the number of couples getting married between the ages of 25 through 37 decreased over time

A study in February revealed that Millennials are less likely to be married at the same age previous generations were. This graph shows how the number of couples getting married between the ages of 25 through 37 decreased over time

The report shows that more unmarried partners are now older, more racially diverse, better educated and more likely to earn higher wages than ever before. 

In 1996 only about 2 percent of unmarried partners were 65 years old or older. But by 2017 that number tripled to 6 per cent. 

Furthermore, other studies have noted a jump in cohabitation among older adults especially in the last 10 years as divorce rates up within this age demographic. As a result, divorcees make up a large proportion of older cohabiters. 

However, as a group, unmarried partners are still small compared to married partners, which number at 127 million in 2018.   

The report used data from the bureau's Current Population Survey program.

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