Fewer than half of U.S. households in 2025 were married couples, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau’s America’s Families and Living Arrangements tables. This marks a significant change from 50 years ago, when nearly two-thirds of households consisted of married couples.
The data show that among married-couple households, fewer have their own children compared to previous decades. In 1975, more than half (54%) of these households included their own children under age 18; by 2025, this figure had dropped to about 37%.
One-person households have also increased over time. In 2025, there were 39.7 million one-person households, making up 29% of all households, compared to just 20% in 1975.
Householders aged 65 and older now make up over one-quarter of all householders in the United States, up from one in five in 1975.
The percentage of families with their own children under age 18 living at home declined from 54% in 1975 to 39% in 2025.
The median age at first marriage has risen as well. In 2025, it was estimated at 30.8 for men and 28.4 for women; these ages were previously much lower—23.5 for men and 21.1 for women—in 1975.
More young adults are living with their parents today than fifty years ago: “In 2025, more than half (58%) of adults ages 18 to 24 lived in their parental home, compared to 16% of adults ages 25 to 34.”
These statistics are based on data collected by the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) for the years https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2025/demo/families/cps-2025.html“>2025 and https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/families/cps-1975.html“>1975. The CPS ASEC has gathered information on families for over six decades.
Further details about household characteristics, living arrangements, couple types, and children can be found on the Families and Living Arrangements page at census.gov.
Definitions along with technical documentation covering confidentiality protection, methodology issues such as sampling error can be accessed at https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar25.pdf.
All comparative statements cited have been statistically tested and are considered significant at the ten percent significance level unless otherwise noted.
