Overview
The study analyzes marital and singlehood trends in 119 large U.S. cities, highlighting variations in marriage, singlehood, divorce rates, and gender ratios among singles. Findings reveal strong city-level differences, influencing both demographics and financial considerations.
National and City-Level Trends
- Nationally, married and never-married adults each make up about 41% of the population.
- City marriage rates range from 22.4% to 55.9%, and singlehood rates from 28.3% to 58.5%.
- Median divorce rate across surveyed cities is 11.0%.
- Gender ratios among singles vary, with more single men than women in most cities.
Cities With the Most Single Men Compared to Women
- Oceanside, CA has the highest ratio at 152.7 single men per 100 single women; 33.4% are single.
- Fayetteville, NC and Paradise, NV also have high single male ratios (141.5 and 137.1, respectively).
- Other notable cities: Spring Valley, NV; Chula Vista, CA; Pueblo, CO; Garland, TX; San Jose, CA; Anchorage, AK; and Austin, TX.
Cities With the Most Single Women Compared to Men
- New Orleans, LA has the lowest male-to-female ratio (85.3 single men per 100 single women).
- Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, MD; and Mobile, AL also have significantly more single women than men.
- Other cities in this group include Greensboro, NC; Glendale, AZ; Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Memphis, TN; and Pittsburgh, PA.
Cities With the Highest Percentage of Single People
- Rochester, NY leads with 58.5% never married.
- Boston, MA and Detroit, MI follow with 57.4% and 57.2% never married, respectively.
- Other cities with high never-married rates: Newark, NJ; Cleveland, OH; Milwaukee, WI; Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh, PA; Atlanta, GA; and Cincinnati, OH.
Cities With the Highest Percentage of Married People
- Plano, TX has the highest marriage rate at 55.9%.
- Other leading cities: Colorado Springs, CO; Chesapeake, VA; Chula Vista, CA; Garland, TX; Henderson, NV; Irvine, CA; Virginia Beach, VA; Anchorage, AK; and San Jose, CA.
Cities With the Highest Divorce Rates
- Columbus, GA has the highest divorce rate at 15.7%.
- Spokane, WA and Toledo, OH also show high divorce rates (15.3% and 15.2%, respectively).
- Other cities among the top for divorce: Henderson, NV; Vancouver, WA; Augusta, GA; St. Petersburg, FL; Pueblo, CO; Albuquerque, NM; and Paradise, NV.
Methodology
- Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau 2023 American Community Survey.
- Analysis covers individuals aged 15+ in 119 U.S. cities with populations over 100,000.
- Variables include marital status categories and gender ratios among unmarried individuals aged 15–44.