'Unmarried and Single Americans Week' by the numbers

National Singles Week began in Ohio in the 1980s to celebrate single life and recognize singles and their contributions to society. It is now observed during the third full week of September, this year from Sept. 16 to 22, as “Unmarried and Single Americans Week.” The numbers wonks at the U.S. Census Bureau compiled these facts to recognize and commemorate the unmarried:

92 million                               

The number of unmarried and single Americans 18 and older in 2006. That’s 42 percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older.

54%

The percentage of unmarried and single Americans 18 and older who are women.

60%

The percentage of unmarried and single Americans 18 and older who have never been married. Another 25 percent are divorced, and 15 percent are widowed.

15 million

The number of unmarried and single Americans 65 and older. These older Americans comprise 16 percent of all unmarried and single people 18 and older.

86

The number of unmarried men 18 and older for every 100 unmarried women in the U.S.

50.7 million

The number of households maintained by unmarried men or women. These households comprise 44 percent of households nationwide.

30.5 million

The number of people who live alone. They comprise 27 percent of all households, up from 17 percent in 1970.

32%                                        

The percentage of births to unmarried women during the year ending in June 2004.

12.9 million    

The number of single parents living with their children in 2006. Of these, 10.4 million were single mothers.

9%

The percentage of households headed by single parents in 2006, up from 5 percent in 1970.

39%

The percentage of opposite-sex, unmarried-partner households that include children.

712,000

The number of unmarried grandparents who were caregivers for their grandchildren in 2005. They comprised nearly three in 10 grandparents who were responsible for their grandchildren.

5 million

The number of unmarried-partner households in 2006. These households consist of a householder living with someone of the opposite sex who was identified as their unmarried partner.

904

The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2002. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenues.

36%

The percentage of voters in the 2004 presidential election who were unmarried.

83%                            

The percentage of unmarried people 25 and older in 2006 who were high school graduates.

24%

The percentage of unmarried people 25 and older in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree or more education.

These data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Direct questions or comments to the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office, (301) 763-3030, fax (301) 763-3762, or pio@census.gov.