New data from the U.S. Census Bureau show significant changes in American households over the past 50 years. According to newly released estimates from the America’s Families and Living Arrangements tables, fewer than half (47%) of U.S. households in 2025 were married couples, compared to nearly two-thirds (66%) in 1975.
The share of married-couple households with their own children has also decreased. In 1975, more than half (54%) of these households included children under age 18; by 2025, this figure had dropped 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, a rise from 20% in 1975.
The portion of householders aged 65 and older increased from one in five in 1975 to over one in four by 2025. The percentage of families with their own children under age 18 living at home declined from 54% in 1975 to 39% in 2025.
Median ages at first marriage rose notably over the last five decades, reaching an estimated age of 30.8 for men and 28.4 for women in 2025, up from ages 23.5 and 21.1 respectively in 1975.
Living arrangements among young adults have also shifted: more than half (58%) of adults ages 18 to 24 lived with their parents in 2025, compared to just16% among those ages25to34.
These findings are based on data collected by the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) for the years2025and1975.CPSASEChas been gathering statistics on American families for more than six decades.
The information provides details on household composition, types of couples, and the presence of children within homes.
Further data on family structures can be found at census.gov’s Families and Living Arrangements section. Technical documentation regarding definitions, confidentiality protection, methodology,and sampling error is available at https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar25.pdf.
All comparative statements have undergone statistical testing, and unless otherwise noted,”all comparisons are statistically significant at the10 percent significance level.”
