Despite more people choosing to stay single, “coupled households” are still trending upward, according to a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau. The report, titled, “The Share of Coupled Households in Your County and the Nation,” found that in 2020, coupled households were among the top living arrangements in the U.S., coming in at 53 percent, down slightly from 55 percent in 2010 and nearly 57 percent in 2000. 

The highest rate of coupled households can be found along coastal areas in both the East and West, with urban areas having the highest number of same-sex married and unmarried households with couples. 

New figures from the Coupled Households By County report found that 86 percent of households were made up of opposite-sex married couples. This was followed by opposite-sex unmarried partners or cohabiting households at 11 percent, and same-sex married couples at 0.9 percent. The smallest share of coupled households were same-sex, unmarried partner households, at 0.6 percent.

New data shows that despite making up the largest portion of households, the number of married couples cohabiting continues to fall. In 1968, the number of married couples between the ages of 25 and 34 living with their spouse households, came in at 81.5 percent. By 2018, it had fallen to 40 percent. Meanwhile, the number of unmarried couples living together in the same age range rose from 0.2 percent to nearly 15 percent during the same time period. 

People are also waiting longer to get married. More than 67 percent of the population over the age of 15 was married in 1960. This number fell to 50 percent in 2021. Experts believe this sharp decline is due to better education and employment opportunities for women. 

The median age for marriage has also risen. Public perceptions toward couples cohabiting outside of marriage have also changed, as well as a greater acceptance of living alone. 

Idaho, Utah and Wyoming saw the highest number of opposite-sex married couples, while Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington saw the lowest.

New data shows that there are more than one million same-sex households in the U.S., with the highest number in New York, California and Washington, with several regions standing out. These regions include Kings and New York counties in New York; Los Angeles and San Francisco counties in California; King County in Washington; Broward County in Florida; Cook County in Illinois; Davidson County in Tennessee; Fulton County in Georgia; and Hennepin County in Minnesota.