Living alone became slightly more common in 2021 as 37 million adults, up from 33 million in 2011, age 18 and over reported living alone. That was one of the findings released by the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual America’s Families and Living Arrangements.
“There were 37 million one-person households in 2021, or 28% of all U.S. households,” according to a press release. “In 1960, single-person households represented only 13% of all households.”
The percentage of adults living with a spouse decreased to 50% from 52% over the past decade, and the percentage of adults living with an unmarried partner also inched up over the past decade, to 8% from 7%.
The report also showed the number of families with their own children under age 18 in the household declined over the past two decades. In 2021, 40% of all U.S. families lived with their own children, compared to 44% in 2011 and 48% in 2001.
When it comes to marriage, in 2021, 34% of adults age 15 and over had never been married, up from 23% in 1950. Meanwhile, the estimated average age to marry was 30.4 for men and 28.6 for women in early 2021, up from ages 23.7 and 20.5, respectively, in 1947.
In 2021, less than one-quarter (24%) of children under age 15 living in married-couple families had a stay-at-home mother, compared to 1% with a stay-at-home father. Also, in 2021, more than one-half (58%) of adults ages 18 to 24 lived in their parental home, compared to 17% of adults ages 25 to 34.
