New data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that married couples now make up less than half of all households in the United States, marking a notable change compared to five decades ago. According to estimates from the America’s Families and Living Arrangements tables, 47% of U.S. households in 2025 were married couples, down from 66% in 1975.
The share of married-couple households with their own children has also declined over time. In 1975, more than half (54%) of these households included their own children under age 18. By 2025, that number had dropped to about 37%.
One-person households have increased as well. In 2025, there were an estimated 39.7 million one-person households, representing 29% of all households compared to just 20% in 1975.
The age profile of householders has shifted too. The portion of householders aged 65 and older rose from one in five in 1975 to over one in four by 2025.
Other changes include a decline in families with their own children under age 18—from 54% in 1975 to 39% in 2025—and a rise in the median age at first marriage: for men it increased from age 23.5 to age 30.8; for women it went from age 21.1 to age 28.4 during the same period.
Living arrangements among young adults have changed as well; more than half (58%) of adults ages 18 to 24 lived with their parents in 2025, while only about one-sixth (16%) of those ages 25 to 34 did so.
These statistics are based on data collected through the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) for both years referenced. The CPS ASEC has been collecting family statistics for over sixty years.
The Census Bureau provides further information on household characteristics and living arrangements on its website at Families and Living Arrangements at census.gov.
Technical documentation regarding definitions, confidentiality protection, methodology, and error measurement is available online at https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar25.pdf.
