Bowling Green State University

 

Just as U.S. marriage rates have reached their lowest level in a century and rates of divorce are high, the Census Bureau has proposed to eliminate questions about marriage, widowhood, and divorce in its Annual Community Survey (ACS). This must be avoided! If these questions are dropped, the United States will become the only country in the developed world that does not generate annual age-specific rates of marriage and divorce.

 

The ACS is the ONLY way to estimate divorce for the entire nation and local (county and city) marriage and divorce rates. The National Vital Statistics System does not collect key socioeconomic information, is missing divorce data for one-fifth (20%) of the population of the U.S., and provides no information at the county or city level.

 

What can you do?

  • Contact Jennifer Jessup before December 30th objecting to the removal of marriage from the ACS! Email her at jjessup@doc.gov or mail her at:
    • Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer
      Department of Commerce, Room 6616
      14th and Constitution Avenue NW
      Washington, DC 20230

The questions below can be answered only with the ACS. These have been featured in national news outlets, such as The New York Times, USA Today, and Chicago Tribune, and showcased in NCFMR Family Profiles. 

 

Are Americans marrying more than divorcing?

  • In any given year, there are more marriages than divorces in the U.S. In 2013, there were almost two marriages for every one divorce in the U.S.

How has the Great Recession influenced marriage and divorce?

  • The marriage rate has declined and not returned to the pre-recession levels. Divorce has returned to pre-recession rates.

Do low income Americans experience differential marriage and divorce rates?  

  • Yes. The college educated have higher marriage rates and lower divorce rates than their more modestly educated counterparts. The ACS is the best and only source for statistics on the incidence of marriage and divorce across different economic as well as racial and ethnic subgroups.

Do men and women have similar remarriage levels?

  • From the ACS, we know that nearly one in three Americans who married last year was remarrying. Men have almost a 100% higher remarriage rate than women. No other data provides estimates of remarriage by age, gender, or race/ethnicity.

Who are experiencing the greatest increases in divorce?

  • Baby Boomers have experienced the highest increase in divorce rates with one in four divorces occurring to persons over age 50. The ACS is the best way to estimate these age patterns.

Debunking the seven-year itch

  • Actually, it's a 12-year itch. Estimates from the ACS indicate roughly half of first marriages end 12 years after walking down the aisle.

Which states have the highest and lowest age at first marriage?

  • Washington DC has the highest, and Idaho and Utah have among the lowest.

Do same-sex marriages end faster than different-sex marriages? 

  • The ACS will be the only way to estimate levels and trends in same-sex marriage and divorce.

What does the research community say?

For more information directly from the federal government: 

 
National Center of Family and Marriage Research