Facts and Statistics Are Emerging About Cohabitation
Cohabitation in recent decades has emerged as an important emotional and economic institution, both as a predecessor to, and often as a substitute for marriage. This writing takes up some of those facts and figures.
- Among adults ages 18 to 44, more have ever cohabited (59%) compared to the share who have ever been married (50%). This represents a significant change from roughly a decade ago. Then 54% of adults in this age group had ever cohabited and 60% had ever married. See Pew Research Summary.
- Most adults ages 18 to 44 who are presently living with a spouse or partner are also living with children. Among married adults, 77% have at least one child 18 or younger at home, while among cohabiters the share is 54%. Pew Research Summary.
- Married adults are twice as likely as cohabiters to be living with children they share biologically with their present spouse or partner – 70% of married adults live in this type of household, compared with 35% of cohabiters. Meanwhile, 19% of cohabiting adults are in families that include children from prior relationships only, as are 6% of married people.
- Among those currently cohabiting, the vast majority expected their cohabitation to lead to marriage.*
- Most cohabitation does not end in marriage, but most marriages are preceded by cohabitation. In the early 2000’s, 59% had cohabited with their future spouse before the marriage.*
- Cohabitation with an intended spouse is even more common among those who have previously divorced, with 75% of those remarrying in the early 2000s having cohabited before the marriage.*
- US couples who cohabited prior to the marriage historically have been more likely to divorce than those who did not cohabit.*
- Cohabitation in part is related to the fact that people are marrying at a later age. See 2018 U.S. Census Article.
- Speaking of a later age, cohabitation by senior citizens is economically driven. When a retired man and a retired woman each receive Social Security benefits, if they marry, total Social Security benefits will drop. It makes economic sense for some of these couples to live together, but not to marry.
* Marriage and Divorce: Changes and their Driving Forces, by Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers.
