Behind every divorce, separation and relationship breakdown are real people who once hoped their relationship would last.
The statistics do not prove that conflict caused every breakup.
They do show that millions of people are trying to maintain committed relationships while managing stress, responsibilities, emotional differences and repeated disagreements.
Most were never formally taught how to recognize escalation, regulate their responses, repair emotional damage or change a recurring conflict pattern.
That is the gap Break the Fight Cycle™ was created to address.
The program does not promise to save every relationship. It provides individuals and couples with practical tools to recognize what is happening, interrupt destructive escalation and build healthier ways of responding.
Statistics describe populations, not the future of one individual relationship. Annual marriage and divorce counts should not be interpreted as the percentage of marriages that eventually divorce. Cohort studies, longitudinal research, and annual rates answer different questions.
What the research means for real people
Relationship status does not protect you from relationship pain.
Whether someone is married, dating, living together, separated or single after a painful breakup, the research points to the same reality: many people are carrying unresolved conflict, emotional disconnection and repeating relationship patterns they were never taught how to change.
When the same pattern keeps hurting
Many relationships do not break down because love was never there. They deteriorate because the same conflict cycle repeats until both people feel unheard, exhausted and emotionally far apart.
You keep arguing about different issues, but the same painful pattern repeats.
One person pushes for answers while the other becomes defensive, shuts down or pulls away.
Small disagreements turn into criticism, resentment, silence or emotional distance.
You calm down and apologize, but nothing truly changes before the next fight.
You care about each other, yet you no longer know how to talk without making things worse.
This is the gap our programs are designed to solve.
Relationship & Love Tips® and Break the Fight Cycle™ provide practical relationship education for people who need more than generic advice to “communicate better.”
Recognize escalation before the conversation becomes destructive.
Understand your own conflict style and your partner’s reactions.
Reduce defensiveness, shutdown and emotional strain.
Interrupt the repeating cycle instead of replaying it.
Repair difficult interactions before more trust and connection are lost.
The longer the pattern continues, the more normal the damage can begin to feel. You do not need another communication tip. You need a clear process for what to do when communication starts breaking down.
Research context: National marriage, divorce, cohabitation and relationship-status statistics show the size and diversity of the population navigating intimate relationships. They do not prove that conflict causes every breakup. They do show why practical education in escalation, communication and repair is relevant across marital and dating statuses.
Relationship & Love Tips® Research Overview
U.S. Relationship, Marriage and Divorce Statistics
A clear, research-based overview of who is partnered, when people marry and divorce, how patterns differ by age and demographic group, how geography matters, and how American relationships have changed over approximately 20 years.
United StatesLatest source years: 2023–2025Reviewed: August 2, 2026
The national snapshot
No single statistic describes every relationship. The most useful national measures distinguish marriage, cohabitation, legal divorce and people who are not living with a romantic partner.
Among people who experienced a first divorce in 2023. [6]
How U.S. adults were partnered in 2023
Married51%
Cohabiting with an unmarried partner7%
Not living with a spouse or partner42%
This residential measure does not capture every committed dating, long-distance or living-apart relationship. [3]
Why the definitions matter
Unpartnered
Not married and not living with a romantic partner. A person may still be dating or in a non-cohabiting relationship.
Unmarried
Not currently legally married. This group includes never-married adults, divorced or separated adults, widowed adults and unmarried cohabiters.
Divorce rate
A one-year population rate. It is not the percentage of marriages that will eventually end in divorce.
There is no national breakup registry for dating relationships. Dating and nonmarital breakups usually involve no government filing, so they cannot be counted with the same completeness as marriages and legal divorces.
Relationship status by age
Partnership is least common in early adulthood, rises sharply through the 30s and 40s, and then changes again as divorce, separation and widowhood become more common.
Share of adults who were unpartnered in 2023
Ages 18–24
86%
Ages 25–39
42%
Ages 40–54
29%
Ages 55–64
32%
Ages 65+
41%
Among adults age 65 and older, 51% of women and 29% of men were unpartnered. Widowhood and women’s longer average life expectancy contribute to this difference. [3]
Age group
Unpartnered
Married or cohabiting
Interpretation
18–24
86%
14%
Most have not yet formed a co-residential partnership.
25–39
42%
58%
Partnership formation accelerates, but a large minority remains unpartnered.
40–54
29%
71%
The most heavily partnered age group in this analysis.
55–64
32%
68%
Partnership remains common while divorce and separation affect a larger share.
65+
41%
59%
Widowhood and gender differences become increasingly important.
First divorce is most frequent among younger married adults
In 2023, the first-divorce rate was highest among ages 18–29: 17.6 per 1,000 men in first marriages and 19.3 per 1,000 women. At age 75+, the corresponding rates were 2.8 and 5.1. [5]
First divorce occurs later than it once did
The median age at first divorce reached 43.3 for men and 41.9 for women in 2023, up from 30.5 and 27.7 in 1970. [7]
Race, ethnicity, nativity and education
These are population-level associations. They do not establish that race, ethnicity or education directly causes a particular relationship outcome. Age structure, economic resources, migration, sex ratios, incarceration, local marriage markets and cultural patterns may all contribute.
Population group
Unpartnered in 2023
Living with a spouse or partner
Black adults
61%
39%
Hispanic adults
45%
55%
White adults
38%
62%
Asian adults
35%
65%
U.S.-born adults
44%
56%
Foreign-born adults
33%
67%
Hispanic origin is an ethnicity; Hispanic adults may be of any race. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. [3]
Education and partnership
Among adults age 25 and older, 44% of those without a high-school diploma were unpartnered, compared with 30% of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree. [3]
Education and first divorce
In 2023, the lowest first-divorce rates were among adults with a master’s degree or higher: 8.2 per 1,000 men and 10.3 per 1,000 women. [5]
First-divorce rates by race and ethnicity, 2023
Black men and women had the highest first-divorce rates in the broad groups reported—21.3 and 25.7 per 1,000, respectively. Asian men and women had the lowest rates—6.4 and 7.9 per 1,000. Native-born adults also had higher first-divorce rates than foreign-born adults. [5]
These are annual rates among people currently in a first marriage, not lifetime probabilities. Broad racial categories can conceal substantial variation within communities.
Reported divorces and annulments per 1,000 residents in 2023; five states were excluded. [1]
Marriage-to-divorce event ratio
2.42
Women’s marriages per divorce during 2024, based on ACS reports of events in the prior year. [10]
Do not read 2.42 as a survival probability. Marriages and divorces occurring in one calendar period involve different couples and different marriage cohorts.
How long first marriages lasted before divorce
The median was 13 years for both men and women in 2023. The middle 50% ranged from 7–24 years for women and 6–23 years for men. [6]
First-divorce rates have declined
From 2008 to 2023, the rate fell from 16.9 to 11.5 per 1,000 for men and from 18.7 to 13.4 for women. [5]
Geographic differences
For state comparisons, refined rates are more informative than crude rates because the denominator is the population actually eligible to experience the event. The marriage rate below is per 1,000 unmarried women age 15+; the divorce rate is per 1,000 married women age 15+.
Highest refined marriage rates, 2024
Utah
51.7
Idaho
44.3
Colorado
43.0
Wyoming
42.9
South Dakota
41.4
Lowest refined marriage rates, 2024
Delaware
20.1
Louisiana
21.2
New Mexico
21.6
Connecticut
23.8
Rhode Island
24.3
U.S. refined marriage rate: 31.2 per 1,000 unmarried women in 2024. Marriage rates were generally higher in parts of the West and Midwest and lower in the Northeast. [8]
Highest refined divorce rates, 2024
Oklahoma
20.7
Nevada
19.9
Mississippi
19.2
Wyoming
18.7
Alabama
18.0
Lowest refined divorce rates, 2024
Maine
10.0
Wisconsin
10.8
New Jersey
11.0
Idaho
11.2
Montana / South Carolina
11.7
U.S. refined divorce rate: 14.2 per 1,000 married women in 2024. Southern states were disproportionately represented in the higher-rate quartiles. [9]
What changed over approximately 20 years?
The strongest long-term pattern is not simply “relationships are disappearing.” Marriage is later and less universal, cohabitation is more common, and both marriage and divorce rates are lower than they were two decades ago.
A lower divorce rate does not prove that every relationship is healthier. Fewer people marry, marriage increasingly occurs at older ages, and marriage is more concentrated among adults with greater educational and economic stability. Some unstable relationships also end during dating or cohabitation and therefore never appear in divorce records.
Marriage is delayed, not eliminated
The median first-marriage age continues to rise. A larger share of adulthood is now spent single, dating or cohabiting before marriage.
Cohabitation is a standard relationship stage
For different couples, cohabitation can operate as a path toward marriage, an alternative to marriage, a post-divorce arrangement or a later-life partnership.
Divorce has shifted by age
Divorce rates have fallen sharply among younger adults over the long term, while later-life divorce rose over prior decades and has more recently leveled. [14]
Economic stratification matters
Marriage and marital stability are increasingly associated with education, earnings and economic security. These factors shape when couples commit and how much strain they must absorb.
Relationship diversity
1.4M
same-sex couple households
Approximately 836,000 married and 551,000 unmarried in 2024. [11]
31.3%
of married same-sex couples were interracial
Compared with 19.5% of married opposite-sex couples in 2024. [11]
34%
of unmarried same-sex couples were interracial
Compared with 29% of unmarried opposite-sex couples in 2022. [12]
American couples increasingly include interracial, interethnic, same-sex, mixed-nativity, remarried, blended-family, later-life and living-apart-together relationships. Aggregate statistics should therefore be interpreted as a broad map, not as a description of every couple.
What could happen next?
The following is a reasoned scenario based on observed demographic patterns. It is not an official government projection and should not be presented as a guaranteed forecast.
Trend-based outlook: approximately 2026–2035
Marriage will probably remain later
If the long-term movement continues at a slower pace, median first-marriage age may reach roughly 31–32 for men and 29.5–30.5 for women by the mid-2030s.
Cohabitation will probably keep growing
Growth is likely to remain concentrated among ages 25–44, with important percentage growth among adults over 50 and especially later-life partners.
Marriage rates may remain historically low
A reasonable scenario is a crude marriage rate near 5.5–6.5 per 1,000, subject to economic conditions, housing costs, migration and delayed weddings.
Divorce rates may remain low or decline slowly
A plausible scenario is a crude rate near 2.2–2.7 per 1,000, but missing state reports and changing population composition limit precision.
Later-life relationship needs will expand
Population aging will increase the importance of remarriage, companionship, caregiving, blended families, widowhood, financial planning and conflict management after age 50.
Couple diversity will continue increasing
Same-sex, interracial, intercultural, mixed-nativity and nontraditional residential arrangements are likely to represent a growing share of American couple life.
Methodology and responsible use
Different sources measure different things
CDC vital statistics count registered events. Census surveys estimate population characteristics and events reported by respondents. Pew and the National Center for Family & Marriage Research analyze Census microdata. Results may differ slightly because definitions, samples and denominators differ.
Crude and refined rates are not interchangeable
A crude rate uses the total population. A refined marriage rate uses unmarried people who are eligible to marry; a refined divorce rate uses married people who are at risk of divorce.
Annual rates are not lifetime odds
A rate of 14 divorces per 1,000 married women in one year does not mean 14% of marriages will end, nor does it estimate the lifetime probability of divorce.
Small differences may reflect sampling error
ACS and CPS statistics are survey estimates. State-level findings—especially in states with smaller populations—can have substantial margins of error.
CDC divorce counts are incomplete. The 2023 national table excludes California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota and New Mexico. Comparisons across years should account for changes in reporting coverage. [1]
References and data sources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. “National Marriage and Divorce Rate Trends, 2000–2023” and FastStats: Marriage and Divorce. View CDC marriage and divorce data.
Fry, R. (2025), Pew Research Center. “Share of U.S. Adults Living Without a Romantic Partner Has Ticked Down in Recent Years.” Analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. View the analysis.
Julian, C. A. (2025). “Age Variation in Prevalence of Cohabitation Among Unmarried Men and Women, 2009 & 2024.” National Center for Family & Marriage Research, FP-25-04. View the report.
Bankey, N. (2025). “First Divorce Rate, 2023.” National Center for Family & Marriage Research, FP-25-02. View the report.
Bankey, N. (2025). “Duration of Marriage at First Divorce, 2023.” National Center for Family & Marriage Research, FP-25-22. View the report.
Westrick-Payne, K. K. (2025). “Median Age at First Divorce, 2023.” National Center for Family & Marriage Research, FP-25-23. View the report.
Westrick-Payne, K. K. (2025). “Refined Marriage Rate in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2024.” National Center for Family & Marriage Research, FP-25-30. View the report.
Westrick-Payne, K. K. (2025). “Refined Divorce Rate in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2024.” National Center for Family & Marriage Research, FP-25-31. View the report.
Westrick-Payne, K. K. (2025). “Marriage-Divorce Ratio in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2024.” National Center for Family & Marriage Research, FP-25-32. View the report.
U.S. Census Bureau (2026). “More Female Than Male Same-Sex Couple Households in the United States in 2024.” View the Census analysis.
Hernandez, N., & Hemez, P. (2023), U.S. Census Bureau. “Some Demographic and Economic Characteristics of Male and Female Same-Sex Couples Differed.” View the Census analysis.
Smith, H. N. (2026). “Unmarried Adulthood: More than a Century of Change, 1900–2024.” National Center for Family & Marriage Research, FP-26-08. View the report.
Westrick-Payne, K. K. (2025). “Age Variation in the Refined Divorce Rate, 1990 & 2023.” National Center for Family & Marriage Research, FP-25-24. View the report.
Recommended citation for this webpage: Relationship & Love Tips®. “U.S. Relationship, Marriage and Divorce Statistics: A Research Overview.” Reviewed August 2, 2026. Data drawn from the CDC/NCHS, U.S. Census Bureau, Pew Research Center and the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
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