CB11-FF.19

 Aug. 26, 2011 

Unmarried and Single Americans Week
 

Sept. 18-24, 2011
 

“National Singles Week” was started by the Buckeye Singles Council in Ohio in the 1980s to 

celebrate single life and recognize singles and their contributions to society. The week is now 

widely observed during the third full week of September (Sept. 18-24 in 2011) as “Unmarried 

and Single Americans Week,” an acknowledgment that many unmarried Americans do not 

identify with the word “single” because they are parents, have partners or are widowed. In this 

edition of Facts for Features, unmarried people include those who were never married, widowed, 

or divorced, unless otherwise noted. 

Single Life 

Source for statements in this section: America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2010 

<http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2010.html> Tables A1 and A2 

99.6 million 

Number of unmarried people in America 18 and older in 2010. This group comprised 43.6 

percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older. 

53.1% 

Percentage of unmarried U.S. residents 18 and older who were women. 

61% 

Percentage of unmarried U.S. residents 18 and older who had never been married. Another 

23.8 percent were divorced, and 14.4 percent were widowed. 

16.4 million 

Number of unmarried U.S. residents 65 and older. The elderly comprised 16.5 percent of all 

unmarried and single people 18 and older. 

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88 

Number of unmarried men 18 and older for every 100 unmarried women in the 

United States. 

59.1 million 

Number of households maintained by unmarried men or women. These households comprised 

45 percent of households nationwide. 

31.4 million 

Number of people who lived alone. They comprised 27 percent of all households, up from 

17 percent in 1970. 

Parenting 

35% 

Percentage of women age 15 to 50 with a birth in the last 12 months, as of 2009, who were 

widowed, divorced or never married. 

Source: 2009 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov/> Data Profile, Social 

Characteristics 

11.7 million 

Number of single parents living with their children in 2010. Of these, 9.9 million were 

single mothers and 1.8 million were single fathers. 

Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2010 

<http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2010.html> Tables FG5 

38% 

Percentage of opposite-sex, unmarried-partner households that included at least one biological 

child of either partner. 

Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2010 

<http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2010.html> Table UC3 

792,000 

Number of unmarried grandparents who were caregivers for their grandchildren in 2009. They 

comprised about three in 10 grandparents who were responsible for their grandchildren. 

Source: 2009 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov/> Table B10057 
 

 

Unmarried Couples 

6.5 million 

Number of unmarried-partner households in 2009. Of this number, 581,300 were same-sex 

households. 

Source: 2009 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov/> Table B11009 

Dating 

393 

The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2007. These establishments, which 

include Internet dating services, employed nearly 3,125 people and generated $928 million in 

revenues. 

Source: 2007 Economic Census 

<http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IBQTable?_bm=y&-ds_name=EC0781A1&-

NAICS2007=8129902&-ib_type=NAICS2007&-geo_id=01000US&-_industry=8129902&-

_lang=en&-fds_name=EC0700A1> 

Voters 

38% 

Percentage of voters in the 2008 presidential election who were unmarried. 

Source: Voting and Registration in the Election of 2008 

<http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2008/tables.html>
 

Table 11 

Education 

85% 

Percentage of unmarried people 25 and older in 2010 who had a high school diploma or more. 

Source: Educational Attainment in the United States: 2010 

<http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/education/cps2010.html> Table 2 

25% 

Percentage of unmarried people 25 and older in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree or more 

education. 

Source: Educational Attainment in the United States: 2010 

<http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/education/cps2010.html> Table 2 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau’s Facts for Features 

series: 

African-American History Month (February)

Super Bowl 

Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) 

Women’s History Month (March) 

Irish-American Heritage Month (March)/ 

 St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) 

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May) 

Older Americans Month (May) 

Cinco de Mayo (May 5) 

Mother’s Day 

Father’s Day 

The Fourth of July (July 4) 

Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26) 

Back to School (August) 

 Labor Day 

Grandparents Day 

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) 

Unmarried and Single Americans Week 

Halloween (Oct. 31)

American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month 

 (November)
 

Veterans Day (Nov. 11)
 

Thanksgiving Day
 

 The Holiday Season (December)
 

Editor’s note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling 

variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an 

observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines. Questions or comments should be directed to 

the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; fax: 301-763-3762; or e-mail: 

<pio@census.gov>.