Unmarried Adults by State

“The Buckeye Singles Council started “National Singles Week” in Ohio in the 1980s to celebrate single life and recognize singles and their contributions to society. The week is now widely observed during the third full week of September (Sept. 20-26 in 2015) as “Unmarried and Single Americans Week,” an acknowledgment that many unmarried Americans do not identify with the word “single” because they are parents, have partners or are widowed.” – U.S. Census Bureau

Nationwide, there are 107 million unmarried American adults according to the 2014 Current Population Survey. This represents 44.5% of all adults 18 and older. Nearly 3% of all unmarried adults nationwide—3.2 million—live in North Carolina. Unmarried adults comprise 43.2% of North Carolina’s adult population.

Across the United States, the share of unmarried adults ranges widely. The District of Columbia has the highest share of unmarried adults: 68.7%. This is the only region where a majority of adults are unmarried. Nevada has the second highest share of unmarried adults, followed closely by Louisiana. In both Nevada and Louisiana, 49.4% of adults 18 and older were unmarried in 2014.

At the other end of the spectrum, Utah has the lowest share of unmarried adults. Only one in three Utah adults are unmarried. There are only four other states—Idaho (34.8%), Oregon (38.1%), Alabama (38.3%), and Arkansas (38.4%)—where fewer than 40% of adults are unmarried.