A rising share of adults in Arkansas have never married, according to reports from the federal government.
In June, Pew Research published an analysis showing “a record-high share of 40-year-olds in the U.S. have never been married.” The article notes that,
As of 2021, 25% of 40-year-olds in the United States had never been married. This was a significant increase from 20% in 2010, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data.
This isn’t simply a nationwide trend. Census Bureau data specifically for Arkansas shows a rising share of adults have never married as well.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey found that 17% of men ages 35-44 and 12.6% of women ages 35-44 reported having never married. By 2021, those percentages had increased to 23.8% of men and 18% of women ages 35-44.
Similar increases were seen among other age groups.
Overall, married Arkansans dropped from 51% of the population in 2010 to 48.9% in 2021.
Cohabitation could be one explanation for the rising percentage of adults who have never married, but Pew Research actually found that most 40-year-olds who have never married were not living with a romantic partner. The article notes that nationwide, “In 2022, [only] 22% of never-married adults ages 40 to 44 were cohabiting.”
More and more, adults in America — including in Arkansas — seem to be either delaying marriage or simply forgoing marriage entirely.
Research repeatedly has shown that healthy marriages are good for adults, good for children, and good for society.
Cohabitation creates relationships that are less happy and less healthy. Meanwhile, children with a married mother and father are less likely to live in poverty.
Married couples report more satisfaction across the board than cohabiting couples, and marriage is also broadly connected with better health and wellbeing.
As social commentator John Stone Street noted last year,
Marriage is a part of the created order. Though some marriages will tragically end for various reasons and others may want marriage but struggle to find it, the Church can provide vital community for all of its members, while still promoting marriage for the God-given good that it is. And when marriages hit rocky ground, resources like Focus on the Family’s Hope Restored conferences, are available for those willing to fight for reconciliation … with incredible stories of success.
Ultimately, though, a successful marriage requires the same thing as Christianity, a commitment to something bigger than ourselves.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
