A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that more women had their first child while living with an unmarried partner in the early 2020s compared to the early 1990s. The Women’s Living Arrangements at First Birth report, released today, examines how women’s living situations at the time of their first birth have changed over time and differ by education level, race, and ethnicity.
The findings indicate that fewer women had their first child while neither married nor cohabiting in 2020-2024 than in 1990-1994.
Educational attainment played a significant role in these trends. Among first-time mothers with at least a bachelor’s degree, the percentage who were married increased from 74.4% in 1990-1994 to 84.5% in 2020-2024. Only 4.4% of these mothers were neither married nor living with a partner in the early 2020s, down from 14.4% three decades earlier.
In contrast, for women without a bachelor’s degree, marriage rates at first birth declined from 58.6% to 40.6% over the same period. Cohabitation among this group rose from 19.2% to 34.8%.
The report also highlights differences by race and ethnicity. In the early 1990s, Asian women were most likely to be married at first birth (81.7%), followed by White (71.8%), Hispanic (61.2%), and Black (31.5%) mothers. By the early 2020s, only Hispanic mothers saw a significant decline in marital births at first birth, dropping to 43.9%. There was no statistical change for Asian, White or Black mothers.
Cohabitation increased among both White and Hispanic first-time mothers during this period: for Whites from 14.5% to 20.2%, and for Hispanics from 20.4% to 34%.
More information about these trends can be found through resources such as the Current Population Survey June Fertility Supplement File and America Counts.
