New data from the U.S. Census Bureau show a notable change in household composition in the United States over the past five decades. According to historical estimates from the America’s Families and Living Arrangements tables, less than half (47%) of U.S. households in 2025 consisted of married couples. This marks a decline from 66% in 1975.
The share of married-couple households with their own children has also decreased. In 1975, 54% of these households included children under age 18; by 2025, that number had fallen to about 37%.
One-person households have become more common as well. In 2025, there were 39.7 million one-person households, making up 29% of all households—an increase from 20% in 1975.
Other findings indicate that the proportion of householders aged 65 and older grew from one in five in 1975 to more than one in four by 2025. The percentage of families with their own children under age 18 living at home dropped from 54% to 39% during the same period.
Median ages at first marriage have risen, reaching an estimated average of 30.8 years for men and 28.4 years for women in 2025, compared to averages of 23.5 and 21.1 years respectively in 1975.
Living arrangements for young adults have shifted as well: more than half (58%) of adults ages 18 to 24 lived with their parents in 2025, while only about 16% of adults ages 25 to 34 did so.
These statistics are based on data collected by the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) for both years cited. The CPS ASEC has tracked family statistics for over sixty years and provides detailed information on household characteristics, living arrangements, couple types, and children.
For additional information on families and living arrangements, see Families and Living Arrangements at census.gov.
Definitions as well as details about confidentiality protection, methodology, sampling error, and nonsampling error can be found in the technical documentation available at https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar25.pdf.
The Census Bureau stated: “All comparative statements have undergone statistical testing, and, unless otherwise noted, all comparisons are statistically significant at the ten percent significance level.”
There is no formal news release associated with this product; it was issued as a tip sheet only.
