U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Number, Timing, and Duration of

Marriages and Divorces: 2001

Household Economic Studies

Issued February 2005

Current

Population

Reports

By 

Rose M. Kreider

P70-97

What’s in This Report

INTRODUCTION

HISTORICAL MARITAL

PATTERNS

Men and women born in the early

1970s married at older ages on average than those born in the late 1930s.

MARITAL INDICATORS: 2001

Roughly 1 in 5 adults has ever

divorced. 

Men who had ever divorced are more

likely to be currently married than

ever-divorced women. 

Asian and Pacific Islander men and

women had a higher age at first marriage than other groups. 

First marriages that end in divorce

last about 8 years, on average. 

Sixty-two percent of couples married

in the previous year involved brides

and grooms who were both entering

their first marriage. 

MARITAL EVENTS WITHIN

THE PREVIOUS YEAR

REMARRIAGE AND FERTILITY

Men who divorced from their first

marriage and have not remarried have

fewer children than men who

remained married and those who

divorced and subsequently remarried.

INTRODUCTION

Marital patterns are affected by social and

economic events, as well as by changes in

cultural attitudes and behaviors. Changes

in the patterns of marriage and divorce

can then affect family life and other interactions. The Survey of Income and

Program Participation (SIPP) is one of very

few data sources that can provide a comprehensive look at both current and historical marriage and divorce behaviors of

men and women in the United States.

SIPP data contain a detailed marital history for men and women of all ages, as well

as extensive information about the characteristics of adults, their households, and

those with whom they live. In addition,

information about both husbands and

wives is available for people who are currently married.

SIPP has become one of the principal

data sources for marriage and divorce

statistics, and the leading source of

detailed marital history information,

since the National Center for Health

Statistics no longer publishes detailed

information about marriages and

divorces. Estimates of indicators such as

the characteristics of people who had a

recent marital event, the percentage of

currently married couples who have

reached their fiftieth anniversary, the

percentage of men and women who have

ever divorced, or the percentage of

recent marriages in which both the bride

and groom were marrying for the first

time are at this point available only from

SIPP data. In addition, characteristics
such as labor force participation,

poverty status, and the presence of

children for people with recent

marital events are available only

from the SIPP and represent socioeconomic characteristics that were

never collected in the Vital

Statistics system. 

The SIPP marital history topical

module is a nationally representative survey that is fielded approximately every 5 years, with the

most recent data collection prior to

this survey occurring in 1996.1

This report updates some of the

tables shown in the previous

report with data collected in the

second interview of the SIPP 2001

Panel, and adds several tables that

cover other topics.2

In 2001, marital history data were

collected from men and women 

15 years and older in approximately 30,000 households. In the sample, 56,574 people were asked

questions about the number of

times they had been married, and

the month and year of marital

events (including marriage,

divorce, widowhood, and the date

of last separation, if divorced) for

the first, second, and most recent

marriage. Since less than 1 percent of adults have been married

four or more times, few events are

missed by using this approach. 

The first section of this report

describes changes in the age at

which different cohorts of men and

women born since 1935 to 1939

have married, divorced, and remarried. The second section provides

current indicators of the percentage

of the population who have married

more than once, who have ever

divorced, or who experienced other

marital events. This section also

answers questions about how long

first marriages last, the median age

at which people marry or divorce,

and what percentage of currently

married couples involve spouses

who are both in their first marriage.

The third section profiles the characteristics of people who experienced a marital event in the year

prior to the survey. The last section

of the report considers the relationship between whether people

remarry after a divorce and the

number of children born to them. 

2 U.S. Census Bureau

1 The previous report is: Rose M. Kreider

and Jason M. Fields, Number, Timing, and

Duration of Marriages and Divorces: Fall

1996, Current Population Reports, P70-80,

U.S. Census Bureau: Washington, DC, 2001.

See the previous report on the Census

Bureau Web site at <www.census.gov

/population/www/socdemo/marr-div.html>.

Marital status. The marital status classification

refers to the status at the time of interview.

“Married, spouse present” applies to husband and

wife if both were living in the same household,

even though one may be temporarily absent; for

example, on business, vacation, a visit, or in a hospital. "Married, spouse absent" relates to people

who are living apart for reasons other than marital

problems—for example, spouses living apart

because one or the other was employed elsewhere

or on duty with the Armed Forces. "Separated"

refers to couples who are living apart due to marital

problems. “Divorced” indicates people who report

that they have received a legal divorce decree and

have not remarried. “Widowed” indicates that a person’s last marriage ended in the death of their

spouse. The term “never married” applies to those

who have never been legally married, as well as to

those whose marriages were annulled. 

Marital history. A marital history was collected

from each person in the household aged 15 and

older. There were 56,574 people in the sample,

from approximately 30,000 households.

Respondents answered questions about when they

had been married, separated, divorced, and widowed, if they had experienced these events. Dates

for the beginning and end of up to three marriages

were collected: first marriage, second marriage, and

most recent marriage, regardless of whether this

was the third or later marriage. Since very few people marry more than three times, few events are

missed by using this approach to data collection.

Although questions were asked only of people aged

15 and older, some people reported marital events

as occurring before age 15. 

Birth or marriage cohort. A cohort signifies a

group of people born or married in a specified time

period; for example, people born from 1935

through 1939. 

Current age. Age at reference month, which is the

month preceding the interview. 

Median. The median is the value that divides a distribution into two equal parts; half of the cases fall

below this value and half exceed it.

Key Terms

2 The data in this report were collected

from June through September of 2001 in the

second wave (interview) of the 2001 Survey

of Income and Program Participation. The

population represented (the population universe) is the civilian noninstitutionalized

adult (15 years and older) population living

in the United States.
U.S. Census Bureau 3

Table 1.

Marital History by Sex for Selected Birth Cohorts, 1935-39 to 1975-79: 2001

Characteristic 1935 to

1939

1940 to

1944

1945 to

1949

1950 to

1954

1955 to

1959

1960 to

1964

1965 to

1969

1970 to

1974

1975 to

1979

Men (in thousands) ............

Percent ever married by age:

4,907 6,442 8,146 9,752 10,770 11,262 10,087 9,504 9,070

20 years ..................... 20.9 24.1 20.4 23.0 17.6 15.8 13.0 11.0 8.1

25 years ..................... 66.6 70.0 66.6 59.2 49.9 45.0 40.6 39.4 (X)

30 years ..................... 85.3 85.3 79.7 74.0 68.8 65.6 65.2 (X) (X)

35 years ..................... 89.4 89.6 86.2 81.7 78.5 76.6 (X) (X) (X)

40 years ..................... 91.0 91.4 89.6 85.9 83.6 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years ..................... 92.8 92.7 91.5 88.2 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years .....................

Percent ever divorced by age:

94.1 94.0 93.1 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

20 years ..................... 0.7 0.6 0.6 1.3 1.0 0.6 1.1 1.0 0.5

25 years ..................... 4.0 5.9 5.8 7.2 5.4 6.1 7.0 5.8 (X)

30 years ..................... 8.5 13.3 15.6 17.8 14.7 13.8 13.1 (X) (X)

35 years ..................... 15.2 21.9 25.3 26.2 20.8 19.9 (X) (X) (X)

40 years ..................... 22.7 27.4 31.0 31.4 26.2 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years ..................... 27.4 31.5 36.3 34.7 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years ..................... 30.2 34.7 39.7 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

55 years .....................

Percent married two times or

more by age:

32.0 37.3 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

25 years ..................... 1.7 2.3 1.8 2.5 2.0 1.8 3.0 1.9 (X)

30 years ..................... 5.5 6.9 8.1 8.4 6.0 6.7 7.5 (X) (X)

35 years ..................... 10.7 13.0 15.1 16.5 12.0 11.0 (X) (X) (X)

40 years ..................... 15.5 19.7 22.4 21.7 16.8 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years ..................... 21.7 24.2 26.4 25.4 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years ..................... 26.0 27.2 29.5 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

55 years ..................... 28.8 30.2 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Women (in thousands) .........

Percent ever married by age:

5,718 6,914 8,600 10,289 11,181 11,468 10,153 9,837 9,091

20 years ..................... 51.3 46.2 44.8 40.5 36.6 30.2 24.6 21.9 17.5

25 years ..................... 82.5 79.0 78.7 70.1 66.0 59.5 54.8 53.4 (X)

30 years ..................... 88.7 87.6 85.4 80.7 78.1 74.4 74.3 (X) (X)

35 years ..................... 91.1 90.5 88.3 86.2 84.5 83.0 (X) (X) (X)

40 years ..................... 92.2 92.2 90.9 89.1 87.7 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years ..................... 93.8 93.9 92.1 90.6 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years .....................

Percent ever divorced by age:

94.5 94.6 93.0 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

20 years ..................... 2.5 1.9 1.7 2.1 3.0 2.7 1.8 2.1 1.1

25 years ..................... 5.8 7.0 9.4 10.8 11.8 11.5 9.9 9.7 (X)

30 years ..................... 11.6 14.1 18.9 21.6 21.3 19.4 16.9 (X) (X)

35 years ..................... 16.9 21.6 27.9 28.9 27.3 26.0 (X) (X) (X)

40 years ..................... 22.7 26.9 33.2 35.2 31.7 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years ..................... 25.4 29.9 36.7 38.8 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years ..................... 27.2 32.6 39.0 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

55 years .....................

Percent married two times or

more by age:

28.9 34.1 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

25 years ..................... 3.4 3.9 3.8 3.8 5.0 4.2 4.4 3.7 (X)

30 years ..................... 6.4 7.8 10.3 11.1 11.7 10.8 9.8 (X) (X)

35 years ..................... 11.5 12.9 16.6 17.4 17.7 16.1 (X) (X) (X)

40 years ..................... 15.2 16.9 22.3 23.1 21.7 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years ..................... 18.7 20.7 25.4 26.6 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years ..................... 21.1 23.2 28.5 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

55 years ..................... 22.8 24.9 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

X Not applicable. Cohort had not lived to stated age at the time of the survey.

Note: Age in years is exact age. For example, for the percent ever married by 20 years, the person must have been married by age 240

months. The margin of error for the estimates in Table 1 may be found at the end of this report in Table A.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.
HISTORICAL MARITAL

PATTERNS

Age at First Marriage

Since the 1950s, the median age at

first marriage has increased for

both men and women, reaching 

27 years for men and 25 years for

women in 2003.3 Table 1 shows

the percentages of men and

women who were ever married,

ever divorced, or married two or

more times by selected ages. Data

are shown for 5-year birth cohorts

of people born from 1935 to 1939

through 1975 to 1979. 

Reflecting the rise in the median

age at first marriage, the percentages of men and women born in

1975 to 1979 who were married by

age 20 (8 percent and 18 percent,

respectively) were less than one-half

the percentages of those born in

1935 to 1939 (21 percent and 

51 percent, respectively). While the

corresponding percentages of

people ever married by age 25 were

also lower for those born in 1970

to 1974 than for those born in

1935 to 1939, that decline seems

to have stabilized for cohorts of

men and women born since the

mid-1960s. Among those born in

1965 to 1969, 41 percent of men

and 55 percent of women had married by age 25, not statistically different from the percentage recorded

for people born in 1970 to 1974.

Changes in the Percentage

Ever Divorced

An examination of the trends in

the proportions of people ever

divorced is more complicated, as

that indicator is a function of the

proportions of both people getting

married and those getting

divorced. Data from the National

Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)

indicate that the divorce rate for

married women increased sharply

between 1970 and 1975, a period

when divorce laws were changing.

However, subsequent estimates

indicate that the divorce rate per

1,000 married women leveled off

at about 20 per 1,000 women in

the late-1970s and has stayed at

about that level through the mid1990s.4 Table 1 shows the combined effect of both delays in marriage at younger ages—as

previously discussed—along with

the general stability in the divorce

rate since the late-1970s. 

In general, the proportion of men

ever divorced by age 40 increased

among cohorts born from 1935 to

1939 through 1950 to 1954. 

For cohorts born later, the proportion ever divorced had actually

declined, although it was still higher than pre-war levels.5 A similar

pattern exists for women. 

Figures 1a and 1b further illustrate

the changing patterns of divorce

for men and women for selected

birth cohorts by showing the percentage ever divorced among

those ever married. The lower

proportions of divorced people

aged 30 and older for the pre-war

1935 to 1939 cohort relative to the

post-war 1945 to 1949 birth

cohort are noticeable in both

figures. This increase corresponds

roughly to the different historical

periods when these cohorts turned

age 30; by 1975 (for the later birth

cohort), legal changes had made it

easier to obtain a divorce than it

had been before 1970 (for the earlier cohort). 

Frequency of Remarriage

For people born since the 1930s,

what has been the trend in the proportion of people who have married two or more times? By age

40, about 15 percent of men and

women who were born from 1935

to 1939 had been married two or

more times. This proportion

increased to 22 percent among

people born in the first baby-boom

cohort of 1945 to 1949. In the

ensuing 10 years of birth cohorts,

the proportion did not change significantly for women but fell to 

17 percent for men who were born

in 1955 to 1959. This pattern corresponds to the previously mentioned declines in the proportion

ever married for post-war birth

cohorts and the stability of divorce

rates, hence leaving fewer people

available to remarry.

Duration of Marriages

How long do marriages last? 

Table 2 shows that first marriages

occurring during the peak of the

baby-boom years (1955 to 1959)

lasted longer than those occurring

20 years later (1975 to 1979) after

enactment of new divorce laws.

That is to say, a lower percentage

of those in this later marriage

cohort than baby-boom brides and

grooms reached subsequent

anniversaries. While 76 percent of

men who married in 1955 to 1959

stayed married for at least 20

years, only 58 percent of men who

married in 1975 to 1979 stayed

married as long. Declines in marital longevity occurred also for men

4 U.S. Census Bureau

3 Estimates of the median age at first

marriage can be found on the U.S. Census

Web site at <www.census.gov/population

/socdemo/hh-fam/tabMS-2.pdf>.

The estimates in this report (which may

be shown in text, figures, and tables) are

based on responses from a sample of the

population and may differ from the actual

values because of sampling variability or

other factors. As a result, apparent differences between the estimates for two or

more groups may not be statistically significant. All comparative statements have

undergone statistical testing and are significant at the 90-percent confidence level

unless otherwise noted.

4 U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract

of the United States: 2001 (121st edition),

Table 117, Washington, DC, 2001. 5 Except for the percentage of men born

in 1955 to 1959 who were divorced by age

40, which is not statistically different from

the percentage of men born in 1935 to 1939

who were divorced by age 40.
at even shorter anniversaries of 5,

10, or 15 years. Similarly, marital

longevity also fell for women in

the 1975 to 1979 marriage cohort

compared with women married in

1955 to 1959.

However, for both men and

women, marital longevity appears

to have stabilized for marriages

entered into since 1975 to 1979.

For example, while the proportion

of men and women who were married for at least 10 years fell for

marriage cohorts from 1955 to

1959 through 1975 to 1979, for

marriages contracted in 1985 to

1989, no further drop for men was

noted while the proportion for

women actually increased. For the

1985 to 1989 marriage cohort, 

75 percent of people were still

married after 10 years. The proportion reaching their fifteenth

wedding anniversary increased for

women married from 1975 to

1979 through the subsequent 

5-year marriage cohorts. So while

the data do not show large increases in marital longevity, they

suggest that the trend toward

shorter marriages may have ended

for more recent marriage cohorts.

MARITAL INDICATORS:

2001

This section provides basic information about the marital situation

of adults in 2001, including the

number of times married and the

occurrence of a divorce or widowhood. Other indicators include the

median age at which marital

events happen, how long marriages last, when marriages are

most likely to end in divorce, and

how the length of marriages has

varied by the time period when the

divorce occurred. 

U.S. Census Bureau 5

Figure 1a.

Percent of Men Ever Divorced, 

Among Those Ever Married by Selected Ages, 

for Selected Birth Cohorts: 2001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 

2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

20 years 25 years 30 years 35 years 40 years 45 years 50 years

Age

Percent

1965 to 1969 

1935 to 1939 

1945 to 1949 

1955 to 1959 

Figure 1b.

Percent of Women Ever Divorced, 

Among Those Ever Married by Selected Ages, 

for Selected Birth Cohorts: 2001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 

2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

20 years 25 years 30 years 35 years 40 years 45 years 50 years

Age

Percent

1965 to 1969 

1935 to 1939 

1945 to 1949 

1955 to 1959 
Proportion of Adults Who Proportion of Adults Who 

Had Ever Married Had Ever Divorced

In 2001, 31 percent of men and Thirteen percent of men and 

25 percent of women 15 and older 14 percent of women had married

(hereafter referred to as adults) had twice, while 3 percent had married

never been married (Table 3). For three or more times (Table 3). The

all age groups of women 25 to 29 proportion of men and women

and older, the majority had married, married twice was 1 in 5 or higher

as had the majority of men 30 to for men 50 to 69 and women 40

34 and older. Most adults had to 59. These ages correspond with

married only once: 53 percent of the ages when people are likely to

men and 59 percent of women. be divorced, and therefore

available for remarriage. While

overall, roughly 1 in 5 adults had

ever been divorced, the percentage

ever divorced was highest for men

and women 50 to 59 (41 percent

and 39 percent, respectively).6

Proportion of Adults Who 

Had Ever Been Widowed

Overall, 4 percent of men had been

widowed, compared with 12 percent of women. Among people 

70 years and over, 23 percent of

men and 56 percent of women had

ever been widowed, and most

were still widowed at the time of

the survey. The large difference in

the percentages of men and

6 U.S. Census Bureau

6 Estimates for men and women are not

statistically different.

Table 2.

Percent Reaching Stated Anniversary, by Marriage Cohort and Sex, for First and Second

Marriages: 2001

(Limited to spouses surviving to the interview date)

Sex and year of marriage

Number of

marriages

(In thousands)

Anniversary1

5th 10th 15th 20th 25th 30th 35th 40th

FIRST MARRIAGES

Men

1955 to 1959 . . . ............. 4,100 96.1 89.5 82.2 76.2 72.3 68.7 66.1 63.5

1960 to 1964 . . . ............. 5,033 94.0 81.6 71.1 66.1 62.3 60.3 57.7 (X)

1965 to 1969 . . . ............. 6,357 93.0 78.3 67.8 62.1 58.0 54.8 (X) (X)

1970 to 1974 . . . ............. 7,436 90.4 72.5 61.3 55.8 52.9 (X) (X) (X)

1975 to 1979 . . . ............. 7,109 89.3 72.2 63.4 58.4 (X) (X) (X) (X)

1980 to 1984 . . . ............. 7,606 89.8 74.5 66.2 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

1985 to 1989 . . . ............. 8,048 87.6 74.7 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

1990 to 1994 . . . .............

Women

7,718 90.1 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

1955 to 1959 . . . ............. 5,162 94.0 86.8 78.6 73.1 67.0 64.1 58.9 54.4

1960 to 1964 . . . ............. 5,714 93.8 84.0 72.9 66.9 60.9 57.0 53.1 (X)

1965 to 1969 . . . ............. 7,138 91.3 77.9 65.7 59.2 55.5 51.9 (X) (X)

1970 to 1974 . . . ............. 8,176 87.8 70.2 60.3 54.1 49.1 (X) (X) (X)

1975 to 1979 . . . ............. 7,852 84.7 67.7 58.5 52.6 (X) (X) (X) (X)

1980 to 1984 . . . ............. 8,448 87.3 71.5 64.2 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

1985 to 1989 . . . ............. 8,299 86.6 74.7 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

1990 to 1994 . . . .............

SECOND MARRIAGES

Men

7,967 86.9 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

1975 to 1979 . . . ............. 1,985 90.8 81.0 57.6 49.0 (X) (X) (X) (X)

1980 to 1984 . . . ............. 2,544 90.9 71.8 54.9 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

1985 to 1989 . . . ............. 2,881 90.0 72.2 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

1990 to 1994 . . . .............

Women

2,834 88.8 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

1975 to 1979 . . . ............. 2,187 86.3 75.9 55.9 47.2 (X) (X) (X) (X)

1980 to 1984 . . . ............. 2,703 89.2 71.0 54.6 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

1985 to 1989 . . . ............. 3,008 86.9 67.8 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

1990 to 1994 . . . ............. 3,126 86.8 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

X Not applicable.

1

People reaching stated anniversary for specified marital order.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.
women age 70 and over who had had ever divorced, 42 percent were Median Age at Marriage 

been widowed is due to the fact currently divorced in 2001, while and Divorce

that women have a longer life 55 percent were married. A slightly Table 5 shows the median age for expectancy than men and usually higher percentage of women than marital events associated with first

are younger than their husbands, men 25 and older who had ever and second marriages. These and so are more likely to experi- divorced were currently divorced medians reflect the cumulative

ence the death of their spouse. (47 percent), while a lower percent- marital experience of the popula- age were currently married (44 per- tion as of 2001 and do not repre- Current Marital Status of cent). Among men 40 and older Ever-Divorced Adults sent the ages of people who mar- who had ever divorced, more than ried or divorced in 2001. Those

Table 4 shows the current marital half were currently married, but this estimates will be discussed in the

status of men and women who was not the case for any of the age section on marital events occurring have ever divorced, by their age in groups of women, among whom 41 within the last year. As these 2001. For men 25 and older who percent to 48 percent of those 40 medians represent only a portrait and older were currently married. 

U.S. Census Bureau 7

Table 3.

Marital History for People 15 Years and Over, by Age and Sex: 2001

Characteristic

Total, 15 years and over

15 to

19

years

20 to

24

years

25 to

29

years

30 to

34

years

35 to

39

years

40 to

49

years

50 to

59

years

60 to

69

years

70

years

and

over

Estimate90-percent

confidence interval

MEN

Total (in thousands) ..... 105,850 104,698 - 107,002 10,186 9,465 9,177 10,069 10,704 21,202 15,694 9,558 9,795

Percent ................ 100.0 - 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Never married .......... 30.9 30.2 - 31.6 99.1 83.9 50.8 29.5 21.5 14.2 6.3 4.3 3.3

Ever married . . . ......... 69.1 68.4 - 69.8 0.9 16.1 49.2 70.5 78.5 85.8 93.7 95.7 96.7

Married once ......... 53.4 52.6 - 54.2 0.9 16.0 46.3 60.8 66.2 65.1 62.6 67.5 75.5

Still married1 ........ 43.7 42.9 - 44.5 0.6 14.3 39.6 52.3 53.0 53.1 49.5 58.0 58.1

Married twice ......... 12.5 12.0 - 13.0 - 0.1 2.8 8.7 10.9 17.1 23.2 21.3 16.5

Still married1 ........ 9.9 9.4 - 10.4 - 0.1 2.6 7.4 9.1 13.8 17.6 17.0 12.2

Married 3 or more times 3.2 2.9 - 3.5 - - 0.1 1.1 1.4 3.6 8.0 6.8 4.7

Still married1 ........ 2.4 2.2 - 2.6 - - 0.1 0.8 1.2 2.9 5.7 5.1 3.5

Ever divorced ........... 21.0 20.4 - 21.6 0.1 1.0 7.5 15.4 22.9 29.5 40.8 30.9 18.6

Currently divorced ..... 8.8 8.4 - 9.2 - 0.8 4.7 7.0 12.5 12.5 16.9 9.7 5.5

Ever widowed . .......... 3.6 3.3 - 3.9 - - 0.1 0.3 0.5 1.3 2.9 7.6 23.1

Currently widowed ..... 2.4 2.2 - 2.6 - - 0.1 - 0.2 0.8 1.8 4.5 16.8

WOMEN

Total (in thousands) ..... 113,777 112,625 - 114,929 9,764 9,518 9,239 10,211 11,110 22,036 16,626 10,956 14,318

Percent ................ 100.0 - 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Never married .......... 24.6 24.0 - 25.2 96.3 72.4 37.3 21.7 15.6 10.5 6.4 4.1 3.3

Ever married . . . ......... 75.4 74.8 - 76.0 3.7 27.6 62.7 78.3 84.4 89.5 93.6 95.9 96.7

Married once ......... 58.7 58.0 - 59.4 3.6 26.5 57.3 67.3 66.8 65.1 65.2 72.9 77.8

Still married1 ........ 40.7 40.0 - 41.4 3.1 22.6 47.1 56.2 53.0 48.8 46.4 47.5 29.8

Married twice ......... 13.6 13.1 - 14.1 0.1 1.1 5.1 10.0 15.7 19.8 22.1 17.4 15.5

Still married1 ........ 9.1 8.7 - 9.5 0.1 0.8 4.1 7.9 12.0 14.5 15.3 10.6 6.1

Married 3 or more times 3.1 2.8 - 3.4 - - 0.3 1.0 1.8 4.6 6.3 5.6 3.5

Still married1 ........ 1.9 1.7 - 2.1 - - 0.2 0.8 1.5 3.3 4.1 3.1 1.1

Ever divorced ........... 23.1 22.5 - 23.7 0.2 2.6 11.9 18.6 28.1 35.4 38.9 28.4 17.7

Currently divorced ..... 10.8 10.3 - 11.3 - 1.6 7.4 9.3 13.7 16.8 17.9 12.6 6.5

Ever widowed . .......... 11.6 11.1 - 12.1 - 0.3 0.5 0.6 1.1 3.5 9.5 23.3 56.3

Currently widowed ..... 10.2 9.8 - 10.6 - 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.6 2.4 7.1 19.7 52.6

- Represents or rounds to zero.

1

Includes those currently separated.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.
8 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 4.

Current Marital Status by Age and Sex for Those Ever Divorced: 2001

Age

Men Women

Total

number

(In

thousands)

Percent distribution Total

number

(In

thousands)

Percent distribution

Total

Now

divorced

Now

married

Now

separated

Now

widowed TotalNow

divorced

Now

married

Now

separated

Now

widowed

Total, 25 years and over . . 22,130 100.0 41.7 54.8 1.8 1.7 26,035 100.0 46.6 44.0 2.7 6.8

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . 689 100.0 62.4 35.9 1.8 - 1,095 100.0 62.1 35.5 2.4 -

30 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . 1,552 100.0 45.5 52.0 2.5 - 1,896 100.0 49.9 45.8 4.0 0.3

35 to 39 years . . . . . . . . . . 2,454 100.0 54.5 44.1 1.4 - 3,119 100.0 48.7 47.1 3.3 0.9

40 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . 2,824 100.0 42.6 55.3 1.9 0.2 3,703 100.0 48.2 47.1 3.5 1.2

45 to 49 years . . . . . . . . . . 3,439 100.0 42.0 55.4 2.6 - 4,108 100.0 46.7 49.0 2.8 1.5

50 years and over . ...... 11,172 100.0 36.8 58.4 1.6 3.3 12,114 100.0 43.5 41.0 2.1 13.3

- Represents or rounds to zero.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.

Table 5.

Median Age at Marital Event for People 15 Years and Over by Sex, Race, and Ethnicity:

2001

(Median age in years for those who experienced the specified event)

Characteristic

Total

White

Black

Asian and

Pacific

Islander

Hispanic2

Total Non-Hispanic (of any race)

MEN

Total . . ...............

First Marriage

................... 41.3 42.0 43.5 38.4 37.7 33.1

Age when married ... ................... 24.0 23.8 23.8 25.0 27.1 24.1

Age when separated1 ................... 30.3 30.2 30.3 30.9 30.3 29.3

Age when divorced . . . .................. 31.5 31.3 31.4 32.5 31.5 30.7

Age when widowed . .

Second Marriage

................... 59.4 60.3 60.8 (B) (B) 57.4

Age when married ... ................... 35.1 35.0 35.0 (B) 35.3 34.6

Age when separated1 ................... 38.8 38.7 38.8 (B) (B) 38.5

Age when divorced . . . .................. 42.2 42.0 42.2 (B) (B) 39.8

Age when widowed . .

WOMEN

................... 63.4 63.5 (B) (B) (B) (B)

Total . . ...............

First Marriage

................... 43.0 44.0 45.2 39.4 39.1 35.5

Age when married ... ................... 21.8 21.6 21.5 22.3 24.8 21.8

Age when separated1 . ................... 28.0 27.8 27.8 28.8 31.2 28.6

Age when divorced . . . .................. 29.4 29.2 29.1 31.1 32.5 29.9

Age when widowed . .

Second Marriage

................... 58.6 59.3 59.8 (B) 52.0 50.7

Age when married ... ................... 32.7 32.4 32.3 34.3 35.8 33.3

Age when separated1 ................... 35.6 35.3 35.2 (B) (B) 35.9

Age when divorced . . . .................. 38.4 38.1 38.0 (B) (B) 39.8

Age when widowed . . ................... 57.3 58.1 58.0 (B) (B) (B)

B Base less than 200,000. Median not calculated.

1

For those who divorced.

2

Because Hispanics may be of any race, data in this report for Hispanics overlap with data for the White, Black, American Indian, and

Asian populations. Based on the population 15 years and over in the 2001 SIPP, 13 percent of the White population, 6 percent of the Black

population, 17 percent of the American Indian population, and 5 percent of the Asian population were also of Hispanic origin.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.
of the population at a given point

in time, they are influenced not

only by the current age structure

of the population but also by past

marital patterns, which may not

reflect current behavior. 

The median age at first marriage

was about 21 to 22 for nonHispanic White, Black, and Hispanic

women.7 Their median age at separation from first marriage was

about 28 to 29 years, and their

median age at divorce from first

marriage was around 29 to 31

years. For men, median age at

first marriage was about 2 years

older. On average, men were also

about 2 years older than women

when they separated and divorced

from their first marriage. Asian

and Pacific Islander men and

women had a higher age at first

marriage than the other population

groups—27 years for men and 

25 years for women. 

The median age at widowhood from

first marriage was lower for Black

men (56 years) and women 

(54 years) than for non-Hispanic

White men (61 years) and women

(60 years).8 This difference reflects

higher mortality rates for Black men

and women compared with nonHispanic White men and women.9

Half of those who remarried following a divorce from a first marriage

had done so by their mid-thirties.

Among those who had remarried by

2001, the median age at second

marriage was 35 years for men and

33 years for women. 

Duration of Terminated

Marriages

How long do marriages last and how

quickly do people remarry? Table 6,

profiling the marital experience of

the population as of 2001, shows

that first marriages that ended in

divorce lasted a median of 8 years

for men and women overall. The

median time from marriage to separation was shorter: about 7 years. 

Median Time to Remarriage

Following Divorce

Table 6 also shows the median

duration of time between the

U.S. Census Bureau 9

8 Estimates for men and women are not

statistically different. 9 Elizabeth Arias, “United States Life Tables,

2000,” National Vital Statistics Reports,

Volume 51, Number 3, National Center for

Health Statistics: Hyattsville, MD, 2002.

Table 6.

Median Duration of Marriages for People 15 Years and Over by Sex, Race, and Ethnicity:

2001

(Duration in years)

Subject

Total

White

Black

Asian and

Pacific

Islander

Hispanic

Total Non-Hispanic (of any race)

Duration of first marriage for those whose first

marriage ended in divorce

Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2 8.1 8.2 8.9 8.3 7.8

Women ................................

Duration between first marriage and first

separation for those who separated

7.9 7.8 7.8 8.4 9.0 8.1

Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 6.8 6.8 7.3 6.8 6.3

Women ................................

Duration between first separation and first

divorce for those who divorced

6.7 6.7 6.6 6.6 7.7 6.8

Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 0.8 0.8 1.1 0.9 0.8

Women ................................

Duration between first divorce and remarriage

for those whose first marriages ended in

divorce and who had remarried

0.8 0.8 0.8 1.2 0.7 0.8

Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.8 3.1 3.2

Women ................................

Duration of second marriage for those whose

second marriage ended in divorce

3.5 3.3 3.3 4.3 3.7 3.6

Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2 9.2 9.3 8.7 (B) 6.4

Women ................................ 8.1 8.0 8.0 8.4 (B) 9.1

B Base less than 200,000. Median duration not shown.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.

7 Because Hispanics may be of any race,

data in this report for Hispanics overlap with

data for the White, Black, American Indian,

and Asian populations. Based on the population 15 years and older in the 2001 SIPP,

13 percent of the White population, 6 percent of the Black population, 17 percent of

the American Indian population, and 5 percent of the Asian population were also of

Hispanic origin.
divorce from a first marriage and a

second marriage. Half of the men

and women in all of the race and

Hispanic-origin groups who remarried after divorcing from their first

marriage did so within about 3 to

4 years. The median duration of

second marriages that ended in

divorce was about the same as for

first marriages for women, at 

8 years, but longer for men at 

9 years. 

First Marriage for Women

Another way to look at the stability

of first marriages is to consider at

what time during the marriage the

risk of divorce is likely to be high.

Figure 2 shows the percentage of

women who divorced from their

first marriage each year by the

duration of the first marriage.

Separate lines are graphed for all

ever-married women, women married before 1970, and women married from 1970 through 2001. The

line for all ever-married women

falls between the lines that graph

the two broad marriage cohorts,

since it is essentially composed of

these two groups of women combined, but it masks the contrast in

marital patterns experienced by

people who married before or after

1970. It should be noted that the

data shown for all ever-married

women and for women married

1970 to 2001 are based on partial

experience. For example, a

woman first married in 1985 had

been exposed to the possibility of

divorce for only 16 years by 2001. 

The line indicating the annual percentage divorced from the first

marriage at each year of marriage

for women who married before

1970 is relatively flat compared

with the line indicating the percentage divorced for women who

married from 1970 to 2001. For

the latter group, the percentage

divorcing each year was about 

 

4 percent for years 5 through 8,

and was lower than 4 percent for

subsequent years. 

Figure 3 provides another way of

looking at the duration of women’s

first marriages. The graph shows

the percentage distribution of the

duration of the first marriage by

when women divorced (the divorce

cohort). For women’s first marriages that ended in 1945 to 1949,

about half (47 percent) lasted less

than 5 years, about one-third 

(34 percent) lasted 5 to 10 years,

while 8 percent lasted 15 years or

more.10 In contrast, for women’s

first marriages that ended in 1990

to 1994, 3 out of 10 lasted less

than 5 years, another 29 percent

lasted 5 to 10 years, while 25 percent lasted 15 years or more.11

The high proportion of marriages

that lasted less than 5 years in the

1945 to 1949 divorce cohort may

be due in part to war-time marriages involving men serving in

World War II. 

Duration of Current

Marriages: 2001

While previous sections examined

the intervals between different marital events among people who had

10 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 2.

Yearly Percent of First Marriages Ending in 

Divorce by Marriage Cohort and Duration of 

First Marriage, for Women: 2001

Note: Data shown for all ever-married women and for women married 1970 to 2001 

are based on partial experience. For example, women first married in 1985 had 

been exposed to the possibility of divorce for only 16 years by 2001.

Percent divorced is 100 times the hazard rate for each year of duration calculated 

using the SAS8 statistical software LIFETEST procedure. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 

2001 Panel Wave 2 Topical Module.

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

9876543210 25242322212019181716151413121110

Duration of first marriage, in years

Percent divorced

Married 1970 to 2001

All ever married 

women

Married before 1970

11 Of the three percentages mentioned in

this sentence, only the first (lasted less than 5

years) and the third (lasted 15 or more years)

differ statistically from each other. 

10 For women whose first marriages

ended in 1945 to 1949, the percentage that

lasted less than 5 years was not statistically

different from the percentage that lasted 5

to 10 years.
U.S. Census Bureau 11

Figure 3.

Percent Distribution of Duration of Women's First Marriages 

by Divorce Cohort: 2001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.

1990 to

1994

1985 to

1989

1980 to

1984

1975 to

1979

1970 to

1974

1965 to

1969

1960 to

1964

1955 to

1959

1950 to

1954

1945 to

1949

15 years or more 

7.6

12.6 9.2

13.7

21.0 18.2 15.6 18.3 20.7

11.2 24.8

18.1 21.7

22.8

18.0 22.9

18.9

19.4 15.6

15.9

33.8

29.2 25.8

30.5 27.8

28.7

34.6

33.6 37.1 28.7

47.4

40.2 43.3

33.0 33.3 30.3 30.9 28.7 26.6 30.6 Less than 5 years 

5 up to 10 years 

10 up to 15 years 

Divorce cohort

Table 7.

Currently Married Women Who Had Reached Stated Anniversaries, by Race and Ethnicity:

2001

White Asian and

Anniversary of current marriage Pacific Hispanic (of

Total Total Non-Hispanic Black Islander any race)

Number (in thousands)

Total currently married ..................... 58,909 51,065 45,210 4,410 2,857 6,370

5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,776 41,911 37,538 3,172 2,222 4,743

10th . . . .................................. 38,809 34,234 31,022 2,524 1,679 3,469

15th . . . .................................. 31,214 27,786 25,477 1,905 1,235 2,488

25th . . . .................................. 19,545 17,619 16,407 1,078 687 1,281

35th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,666 10,668 10,071 564 361 623

50th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,419 3,160 3,043 150 98 129

Percent

Total currently married ..................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81.1 82.1 83.0 71.9 77.8 74.5

10th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65.9 67.0 68.6 57.2 58.8 54.5

15th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.0 54.4 56.4 43.2 43.2 39.1

25th . . . .................................. 33.2 34.5 36.3 24.4 24.1 20.1

35th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.8 20.9 22.3 12.8 12.6 9.8

50th . . . .................................. 5.8 6.2 6.7 3.4 3.4 2.0

Note: Currently married includes married spouse present and married spouse absent, excluding separated.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.
experienced a marital disruption by distribution for Hispanics and

2001, this section looks at the dura- Asians contribute to this difference. 

tion of the most recent marriage for

couples who were currently married Number of Times Married, for

Those Currently Married at the time of the survey in 2001.

Table 7 shows the number and per- Table 8 takes a more detailed look

centage of married couples in 2001 at the number of times wives and

who had reached various anniver- husbands had been married when

saries. In 2001, 81 percent of all surveyed in 2001. While both

currently married couples had spouses were in their first marachieved at least their fifth anniver- riage in 70 percent of all currently

sary, 53 percent had been married married couples in 2001, this situat least 15 years, and 33 percent ation occurred for just 62 percent

had reached their twenty-fifth of the couples who had married

anniversary. A small percentage of within the previous year. Seven

currently married couples had percent of all currently married

passed their golden (fiftieth) wed- couples involved a wife who was

ding anniversary—6 percent. in her second marriage and a husband who was in his first marriage, The percentage reaching particular while another 8 percent of all cur- anniversaries was generally lower rently married couples involved a for Black, Asian, and Hispanic husband who was in his second women than for non-Hispanic White marriage and a wife who was in women. Higher rates of divorce for her first marriage. Eight percent of Blacks and the more youthful age both currently married couples and

couples married within the previous year involved spouses who

were both in their second marriage.12 A very small percentage of

all currently married couples 

(1 percent) comprised a husband

and wife who had both been married 3 or more times. 

Based on the SIPP data in Table 8,

the percentage of couples married

in the previous year in which both

were entering their first marriage

was 62 percent—higher than the

54 percent for couples who married in 1990, based on the last

data published by the National

12 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 8.

Number of Times Married for Currently Married Wives and Their Husbands: 2001

(Numbers in thousands)

Number of times wife has

Number of times husband has been married

All current marriages Married within the last year

been married Married 3 Married 3

Married Married or more Married Married or more

Total once twice times Total once twice times

Number (in thousands)

Total .............

Married once . . . .......

Married twice ..........

Married 3 or more times

...........

...........

...........

...........

57,728

45,389

10,232

2,106

44,965

40,288

4,107

571

10,274

4,421

4,866

987

2,489

681

1,259

549

2,282

1,686

469

127

1,671

1,418

214

39

439

212

192

35

172

55

64

54

Percent of marriages

Total ............. ........... 100.0 77.9 17.8 4.3 100.0 73.2 19.2 7.5

Married once . . . ....... ........... 78.6 69.8 7.7 1.2 73.9 62.2 9.3 2.4

Married twice .......... ........... 17.7 7.1 8.4 2.2 20.6 9.4 8.4 2.8

Married 3 or more times ........... 3.6 1.0 1.7 1.0 5.6 1.7 1.5 2.3

Note: This table includes only people who are married spouse present.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.

12 The percentage of couples involving a

wife who was in her second marriage and a

husband who was in his first marriage did

not differ statistically from either the percentage of couples involving a husband who

was in his second marriage and a wife who

was in her first marriage or the percentage

of couples involving spouses who were both

in their second marriage.
U.S. Census Bureau 13

Table 9.

Characteristics of People 15 Years and Over with a Marital Event Within the Last Year:

2001

(Data include first and higher order events)

Men Women

Characteristic at time of interview

Marriage Separation Divorce Widowhood Marriage Separation Divorce Widowhood

Total (in thousands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,476 1,031 1,038 484 2,442 1,201 1,181 1,222

PERCENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Race and Ethnicity

White ............................. 82.7 79.7 84.6 79.5 81.2 83.2 85.2 80.2

Non-Hispanic ..................... 63.8 70.3 75.9 76.5 63.9 68.4 75.5 73.3

Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6 16.6 10.7 13.8 9.8 11.1 11.1 16.0

Asian and Pacific Islander . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1 1.4 4.0 6.7 7.7 3.9 2.2 3.4

Hispanic (of any race) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.7 10.7 9.2 4.7 19.2 16.4 11.1 7.3

Age

15 to 24 years ...................... 23.2 8.6 4.0 0.7 32.8 19.4 8.9 1.5

25 to 34 years ...................... 45.3 31.7 27.6 0.8 41.6 29.4 35.4 1.5

35 to 44 years ...................... 17.7 35.9 40.2 2.8 13.8 32.0 36.3 3.7

45 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2 16.8 20.3 8.0 9.0 12.7 13.5 11.8

55 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 4.6 5.9 14.0 1.6 5.8 5.2 19.7

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 2.5 1.9 73.7 1.0 0.7 0.8 61.8

Median age (in years) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.0 37.4 39.2 73.7 28.3 35.6 36.7 70.5

Educational Attainment

Less than high school ............... 16.2 16.6 13.2 39.9 17.0 18.3 12.3 32.3

High school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.9 35.5 30.0 28.0 25.2 34.3 29.4 31.8

Some college ...................... 28.4 30.1 36.6 13.6 30.0 32.0 35.3 22.8

Bachelor’s degree or more ........... 24.5 17.8 20.2 18.5 27.8 15.3 23.1 13.1

Employment Status1

Worked full-time last month . . . . . . . . . . 82.4 72.9 82.8 11.6 55.3 56.7 65.9 20.4

Worked part-time last month . . . . . . . . . 8.0 7.8 3.7 8.8 11.8 14.8 13.3 7.6

Did not work last month . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6 19.2 13.6 79.5 32.9 28.5 20.7 72.0

Poverty Level

Below poverty level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.9 12.7 7.6 13.9 10.7 23.1 23.0 17.3

100-199 percent of poverty level ...... 17.2 20.7 16.6 27.6 17.4 22.0 21.0 30.8

200+ percent of poverty level . . . . . . . . 70.6 64.0 73.0 57.9 71.0 50.9 52.2 50.9

Income not reported . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 2.6 2.8 0.6 1.0 4.0 3.8 1.0

Household Receives Public

Assistance

Cash assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 5.2 3.2 10.5 4.8 9.4 8.0 9.4

Noncash assistance2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.7 19.1 15.3 21.6 26.9 39.7 33.5 26.0

Tenure

Owns home ........................ 51.6 52.0 57.1 83.4 52.2 45.2 50.1 73.0

Rents home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.0 44.2 39.9 14.4 46.3 52.0 46.6 24.7

Occupies without cash payment . . . . . . 1.4 3.8 3.0 2.1 1.6 2.8 3.3 2.4

Family Status3

Not living with own children under 18 . . 73.3 86.1 83.2 95.2 61.4 41.2 43.1 95.3

Currently living with own children

under 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.7 13.9 16.8 4.8 38.6 58.8 56.9 4.7

Currently living with own children

1-17 ........................... 20.8 13.3 15.1 4.8 33.0 57.1 55.8 4.7

Currently living with own children

under 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 0.6 2.2 - 9.6 3.9 3.1 0.2

- Represents or rounds to zero.

1

Full-time includes those who usually work 35 or more hours per week; part-time includes those who usually work 1-34 hours per week;

those who did not work last month include individuals who were unemployed or were not in the labor force. 2

Noncash benefits include food stamps, WIC, Medicaid, rent for public housing, lower rent due to government subsidy, energy assistance, and free or reduced price lunches or breakfasts. 3

For the purposes of this table only, own children refers to biological or adopted children. The table excludes stepchildren.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.
Center for Health Statistics. These

percentages represented declines

from about 69 percent in 1970.

The SIPP figure of 62 percent for

2001, however, is close to the percentage of first-time marriages in

1974 (63 percent) and in 1975 

(61 percent).13 The SIPP data also

show that 15 percent of couples

married in the previous year

involved both spouses marrying

for at least the second time, compared with the NCHS statistic of 

24 percent in 1990. The SIPP data

are again more similar to those for

1970, in which 16 percent of marriages involved both spouses

entering their second or higher

marriage.14

MARITAL EVENTS WITHIN

THE PREVIOUS YEAR

This section of the report provides

basic information about people

who have had marital events in the

year before the interview, updating

data published in the previous

report (P70-80) that analyzed the

1996 SIPP marital history data.

The National Center for Health

Statistics (NCHS) previously published similar national estimates

for selected states based on information recorded on marriage and

divorce certificates. Since NCHS

has not provided these detailed

estimates since 1990, this section

attempts to fill this gap by showing the characteristics of men and

women who had a marriage, separation, divorce, or were widowed

in the 12-month period prior to the

2001 SIPP survey. 

National estimates of the total number of marriages in the previous

year from the SIPP are reasonably

close to estimates shown in the

Vital Statistics reports published by

NCHS. For the year ending August

2001, NCHS estimated the total

number of marriages at 2,349,000.

SIPP data yield 2,476,000 marriages

for men and 2,442,000 marriages

for women. Thus, the SIPP estimates are about 4 percent to 5 percent higher than the NCHS estimates. NCHS no longer publishes

an estimate of the number of

divorces since it no longer receives

data from enough states.15

The strength of SIPP data rests in

its provision of age-specific marital

transition rates (see the For More

Information section at the end of

this report) and socioeconomic

characteristics of the people

experiencing these events. In

addition, no other source provides

information about the characteristics of people who were recently

widowed or separated. 

Data on the characteristics of people

with recent marital events can provide a profile of people after their

transition from one marital status to

another. For example, what is the

economic situation of recently

divorced men and women, or what

age groups are more likely to experience various marital events?

The majority of men and women

recently widowed are older than

most of the men and women who

had other marital events. Age is

also especially important when

looking at employment status,

housing tenure, and family status.

While the median age of men and

women who recently married,

divorced, or separated was under

50 years, the median age of the

men and women who were widowed in the last year was 74 years

for men and 71 years for women

(Table 9).16

The majority of recently married

men and women were 15 to 34 

(69 percent of men and 74 percent

of women), with a median age of 

30 years for men and 28 years for

women.17 Half or more had at least

some college and owned their

homes. While about 1 out of 5

recently married men lived with children aged 1 to 17, about one-third

of recently married women did. 

The majority of recently separated

and divorced men and women

were 25 to 44. While half or more

of these women lived with their

own children under 18 (59 percent

of separated and 57 percent of

divorced women), less than 

one-quarter of recently separated

or divorced men (14 percent of

those separated and 17 percent of

those divorced) lived with their

own children under 18.18 Thirteen

percent of recently separated men

were below the poverty level compared with 23 percent of recently

separated women. While 15 percent of recently divorced men lived

in households in which someone

received noncash public assistance, 34 percent of recently

divorced women or someone in

their household received noncash

public assistance. The data show

that marital disruption results in

much poorer economic circumstances for women than for men. 

14 U.S. Census Bureau

13 The SIPP estimate for 2001 does not

differ statistically from the NCHS statistics

for 1974 and 1975. 14 Sally C. Clarke, “Advance Report of

Final Marriage Statistics, 1989 and 1990,”

Monthly Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 43, No.

12(S), Table 7, National Center for Health

Statistics, Hyattsville, MD: July 14, 1995.

15 For additional explanation, see the

NCHS Web site at <www.cdc.gov/nchs>, or

“Births, Marriages, Divorces and Deaths:

Provisional Data for 1999,” National Vital

Statistics Reports, Vol. 48, Number 19,

February 22, 2001. 

16 The median age of men and women

widowed in the last year does not differ statistically. 17 The estimates for men and women are

not statistically different. 18 Estimates for men and women who

were recently separated are not statistically

different from estimates for men and women

who were recently divorced. 
REMARRIAGE AND

FERTILITY 

Figures 4a and 4b show, separately

for men and women, the percent

distribution of the number of children born to those who are still in

their first marriage compared with

those who were divorced or those

who had divorced and remarried.

Data are shown only for men and

women 45 and over because the

majority of childbearing is completed before age 45.19 Men who

divorced from their first marriage

and have not remarried are more

likely to be childless (22 percent)

than either those who remained in

their first marriage or those who

remarried (about 10 percent each).

Similarly, the percentage of women

who are childless is highest for

those who remained divorced from

their first marriage (17 percent),

compared with those who are still in

their first marriage (8 percent) and

those who remarried (10 percent).20

SOURCE OF THE DATA

The population represented (the

population universe) in the 2001

Survey of Income and Program

Participation (SIPP) is the civilian

noninstitutionalized population living in the United States. The SIPP

is a longitudinal survey conducted

at 4-month intervals. The data in

this report were collected from

June through September of 2001 in

the second wave (interview) of the

2001 SIPP. The data highlighted in

this report come primarily from the

core and the marital history topical

U.S. Census Bureau 15

Figure 4a.

Percent Distribution of Number of 

Biological Children by Current Marital Status, for 

Ever Married Men 45 Years and Over: 2001

Note: "Now divorced" includes those who had a first marriage that ended in divorce, 

and who have not remarried. "Now remarried" includes those who had a first marriage 

that ended in divorce, and who remarried and are still in their second marriage.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 

2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.

In first marriage Now divorced Now remarried

5 or more

Childless 

1 child 

2 children 

3 children

4 children

9.8 6.0 8.1

11.2

6.6

11.3

23.6

14.8

21.8

34.6

30.1

32.9

11.5

20.7

16.3

9.3

21.8

9.7

Note: "Now divorced" includes those who had a first marriage that ended in divorce, 

and who have not remarried. "Now remarried" includes those who had a first marriage 

that ended in divorce, and who remarried and are still in their second marriage.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 

2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.

Figure 4b.

Percent Distribution of Number of 

Biological Children by Current Marital Status, for 

Ever Married Women 45 Years and Over: 2001

In first marriage Now divorced Now remarried

5 or more

Childless 

1 child 

2 children 

3 children

4 children

10.2 8.1 8.2

11.4

8.5 10.4

23.7

17.5 18.7

34.5

30.1

34.0

12.0

19.1

18.7

8.2

16.7 10.0

19 See Tables 2 and 20 in Joyce A. Martin,

Brady E. Hamilton, Paul D. Sutton, Stephanie J.

Ventura, Fay Menacker, and Martha L.

Munson, “Births: Final Data for 2002,”

National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 52, No.

10, National Center for Health Statistics,

Hyattsville, MD: 2003. Less than 1 percent of

women and 3 percent of men in 2002 were

age 45 and over at the birth of their child. 20 The percentage of women still in their

first marriage who are childless does not differ statistically from the percentage of remarried women who are childless. 
module. Although the main focus The Survey of Income and Program www.sipp.census.gov/sipp

of the SIPP is information on labor Participation weighting procedure /usrguide/sipp2001.pdf 

force participation, jobs, income, uses ratio estimation, whereby sam- (SIPP User's Guide).

and participation in federal assis- ple estimates are adjusted to indetance programs, information on pendent estimates of the national MORE INFORMATION

other topics is also collected in population by age, race, sex, and Detailed tables for this report are

topical modules on a rotating Hispanic origin. This weighting par- also available on the Web at the

basis. The institutionalized popu- tially corrects for bias due to under- same location as the report on the

lation, which is excluded from the coverage, but biases may still be Internet (www.census.gov); search

population universe, is composed present when people who are by clicking on the letter M in the

primarily of the people in correc- missed by the survey differ from “Subjects A-Z” section of the Web

tional institutions and nursing those interviewed in ways other page and selecting “Marriage and

homes (91 percent of the 4.1 mil- than age, race, sex, and Hispanic Divorce Data.” 

lion institutionalized people in origin. How this weighting proce- Census 2000). CONTACTS dure affects other variables in the

survey is not precisely known. All Additional marriage or divorce ACCURACY OF THE DATA of these considerations affect information may be obtained from

Statistics from surveys are subject comparisons across different sur- the author of this report, who can to sampling and nonsampling error. veys or data sources. be contacted in the Census Bureau

All comparisons presented in this Fertility and Family Statistics The appendix that follows contains report have taken sampling error Branch at 301-763-2416 or by into account and are significant at confidence intervals for the estie-mail at

the 90-percent confidence level mates displayed in the first table <Rose.Kreider@census.gov>. unless otherwise noted. This means of this report.

the 90-percent confidence interval For further information on the USER COMMENTS

for the difference between the esti- source of the data and accuracy of mates being compared does not The Census Bureau welcomes the

the estimates including standard include zero. Nonsampling errors in comments and advice of data and

errors and confidence intervals, go surveys may be attributed to a vari- report users. If you have any suggesto <www.sipp.census.gov/sipp ety of sources, such as how the sur- tions or comments, please write to:

/sourceac/S&A01_w1tow6_cross vey was designed, how respondents _puf.pdf> or contact Reid A. Chief, Population Division interpret questions, how able and Rottach of the Census Bureau’s U.S. Census Bureau willing respondents are to provide Demographic Statistical Methods Washington, DC 20233 correct answers, and how accurately Division by e-mail at the answers are coded and classi- or send e-mail to: pop@census.gov <reid.a.rottach@census.gov>. fied. The Census Bureau employs

quality control procedures through- Additional information on the SIPP SUGGESTED CITATION

out the production process including can be found at the following Web Kreider, Rose M., 2005. Number, the overall design of surveys, the sites: www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/ Timing, and Duration of Marriages wording of questions, review of the (main SIPP Web site), and Divorces: 2001. Current work of interviewers and coders, www.sipp.census.gov/sipp Population Reports, P70-97. U.S. and statistical review of reports to /workpapr/wp230.pdf, Census Bureau, Washington, DC. minimize these errors. (SIPP Quality Profile), and

16 U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Census Bureau 17

APPENDIX A.

Table A.

Margin of Error for Table 1: Marital History by Sex for Selected Birth Cohorts,

1935-39 to 1975-79: 2001

1935 to 1940 to 1945 to 1950 to 1955 to 1960 to 1965 to 1970 to 1975 to Characteristic 1939 1944 1949 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1979

Men (in thousands) . . . . . . . . . 341 389 436 475 498 509 483 470 459

Percent ever married by age:

20 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 2.6 2.2 2.1 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.4

25 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 2.8 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.5 (X)

30 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.3 (X) (X)

35 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.0 (X) (X) (X)

40 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.6 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7 1.5 1.4 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Percent ever divorced by age:

20 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.4

25 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.2 (X)

30 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.7 1.6 1.7 (X) (X)

35 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.2 1.9 1.9 (X) (X) (X)

40 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.1 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 2.9 2.6 2.4 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 2.9 2.7 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

55 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 3.0 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Percent married two times or

more by age:

25 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.7 (X)

30 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.1 1.2 1.3 (X) (X)

35 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.5 1.5 (X) (X) (X)

40 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.1 1.8 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 2.6 2.4 2.2 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 2.7 2.5 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

55 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 2.8 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Women (in thousands) . . . . . . 368 403 448 488 507 513 485 477 460

Percent ever married by age:

20 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 3.0 2.6 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0

25 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 (X)

30 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.1 (X) (X)

35 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 (X) (X) (X)

40 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.4 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 1.3 1.4 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Percent ever divorced by age:

20 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.5

25 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 (X)

30 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.8 (X) (X)

35 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.0 (X) (X) (X)

40 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.3 2.2 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.4 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 2.8 2.6 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

55 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 2.8 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Percent married two times or

more by age:

25 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.9 1.0 0.9 1.0 0.9 (X)

30 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 (X) (X)

35 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.7 (X) (X) (X)

40 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.0 1.9 (X) (X) (X) (X)

45 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.1 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

50 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 2.5 2.4 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

55 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 2.6 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

X Not applicable. Cohort had not lived to stated age at the time of the survey.

Note: Age in years is exact age. For example, for the percent ever married by 20 years, the person must have been married by age 240

months.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2001 Panel, Wave 2 Topical Module.
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