This is not legal or financial advice. It is a short look at how the United States’ officially recorded marriage rate has moved over time. Figures here mainly follow the crude marriage rate published by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS): marriages in a year divided by the total population, usually expressed per 1,000 people. That captures both population growth and changes in how often people marry.
The long arc
Across the 20th century the rate rose and fell with wars, demographics, and culture. After World War II, marriage was especially common. For the modern statistical series, a relative high point often cited is around 1972, with a crude rate near 10.9 per 1,000.
Since then the dominant direction is down. The early 1980s were near 10.6 per 1,000; 2000 was about 8.2; 2010 near 6.8. 2018 and 2019 were about 6.5 and 6.1 per 1,000 respectively.
COVID and after
2020 fell to about 5.1 per 1,000—reflecting both the long decline and pandemic postponements. 2021 moved up to about 6.0, and provisional data for 2022 (around 6.2 per 1,000) point to a return toward pre-pandemic levels, as NCHS has summarized publicly—but that rebound is not a return to 1970s peaks.
Remember: Vital statistics only count legal marriages. They do not measure cohabitation or unregistered partnerships. A falling marriage rate therefore does not, by itself, tell the full story of how Americans form couples.
Why it matters for couples
Economics, education, delayed milestones, and shifting norms all play a role. The takeaway for us is simple: committed life together takes many shapes. Whether or not marriage is part of your path, honest planning around a cycle—what Adela supports—can still build empathy and predictability.
For definitions and the latest year-by-year tables, see NCHS Vital Statistics Reports and the national marriage and divorce rate publications.