New estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate a significant change in American household structures over the past 50 years. In 2025, less than half (47%) of households were made up of married couples, compared to nearly two-thirds (66%) in 1975.
The data also show that among married-couple households, fewer now include their own children. In 1975, more than half (54%) of these households had children under age 18; by 2025, this share dropped to about 37%.
One-person households have increased as well. In 2025, there were 39.7 million such households, representing 29% of all households—up from 20% in 1975. The proportion of householders aged 65 and older also rose during this period, going from one in five in 1975 to over one in four in 2025.
Families with their own children under age 18 became less common: the percentage declined from 54% in 1975 to 39% in 2025. The estimated median age at first marriage increased for both men and women—reaching ages of 30.8 and 28.4 respectively in 2025, up from ages 23.5 and 21.1 fifty years earlier.
In terms of living arrangements for young adults, more than half (58%) of those aged between 18 and 24 lived with their parents in 2025, while only about one-sixth (16%) of adults aged between 25 and 34 did so.
These findings are based on data collected by the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) for the years 2025 and earlier. CPS ASEC has gathered information on families for over six decades.
The released statistics cover various aspects such as household characteristics, living arrangements, couple types, and children.
Definitions along with details about confidentiality protection, methodology, sampling error, and nonsampling error can be found within the technical documentation available at this link. Information on how standard errors are calculated is provided in the Source and Accuracy Statement (Attachment H).
All comparative statements have been statistically tested at a significance level of ten percent unless otherwise noted.
For additional information or data tables related to families and living arrangements, visit the Families and Living Arrangements page at census.gov.
