Fewer couples are tying the knot – and the recession may be to blame. For the first time in at least a century, the percentage of U.S. adults between 25 and 34 who have never been married last year exceeded those who are married. In 2009, the proportion of adults 25 to 34 who had never been married was 46.3%, compared with 44.9% for those who were married, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing Census data. The marriage drop cuts across races and gender, but is more pronounced among those with less education. Although marriage rates among young adults have been dropping for years, the economic downturn may have sped things up, as people choose to delay marriage – or forgo it altogether – until they are better off financially. Even though marriage rates have fallen, the number of adults shacking up together has jumped. Between 2009 and 2010 there was a 13% increase in opposite-sex couples living together.
