"Singledom has peaked": Number of unpartnered adults in America declines for first time in 2 decades, survey says

American adults are looking for love — and many are reporting they found someone. For the first time in almost two decades, the share of unpartnered adults — who are neither married nor living with an unmarried partner — in the United States has declined, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data released on Wednesday. This decline coincided with a slight rise in couples who reported being married, from 50% to 51%, Pew found, signaling a possible change in America's relationships.

"Singledom has peaked," Dr. Richard Fry, a labor economist who conducted the survey and has worked as a research analyst for Pew for 23 years, told CBS News. Fry couldn't say whether the trend would continue but noted that the changes signified a possible shift in direction for America's relationships. Those surveyed said they are currently not married, living with a partner or in a committed romantic relationship. A small share of single adults report that they are casually dating someone. 

In 2000, unpartnered adults accounted for 38% of the population, said Fry, who heads a team of researchers focusing on family and American work life. Those numbers rose quickly, hitting a peak of 44% in 2019. In 2023 the numbers declined to 42%, said Fry.

While certain groups, including young people ages 18-24, older women and those without a high school diploma, reported being unpartnered in higher numbers than the general adult population, across the board, romantic relationships trended upward. Adults reporting to the Census Bureau that they were living with an unmarried partner increased from 6% to 7% in that same time period, and data from the bureau shows the number of people reporting they were married went from 50% to 51%, from 2019 to 2023, Pew found.

There has not been an uptick in new marriages, data from the Census Bureau shows, but there have been fewer divorces. 2012 saw a peak of 2% of married adults reporting they had gotten divorced in the prior year. In 2023, a record-low 1.4% of married adults got divorced, Pew found. 

Beyond any sociological value, these numbers also have financial impacts, as partnered adults tend to fare better economically. Research from The Ohio State University surveying about 9,000 people found that divorce reduces a person's wealth by about three-quarters compared to that of a single person, while being married almost doubles comparative wealth.

These findings dovetail with the Pew survey, which, citing a 2023 Federal Reserve survey, shows that unpartnered adults tend to be financially worse off than partnered adults. Some 64% of single adults said they were doing at least okay financially, compared with 77% of partnered adults, Pew said. 

"From a purely economic point of view, adults who have partners seem to be better off financially," said Fry.

Men in particular are in a better position financially if they are married, said Fry. Research shows single men are also much less likely than partnered men to be employed, as women tend to gravitate toward men they view as providers, according to Fry.

"Economically successful men are more attractive partners, but marriage also makes them more 'successful on the job.' Men are more productive if they get married," said Fry. 

Zach Thompson hasn't been single for any of his adult life — and he prefers it that way. He met his wife, Jenna, in middle school. They were friends through high school, got engaged and then the couple married in 2020.

Thompson, a filmmaker from South Carolina, said that growing up, he saw many of his family members in relationships and knew he wanted one too. When he met his wife, it felt like a natural progression. he said. Now, the 26-year-old couple lives together in Charleston. "If you find someone you can spend the rest of your life with, there is real value and worth in fighting for a relationship and making it work," said Thompson.