The typical age of marriage among Americans began trending upward as far back as World War II.

When war broke out in 1939, and men went to serve in the military overseas, many delayed marriage until their hopeful return. Back home, women began entering the workforce to fill in for roles traditionally held by men while they were away.

When the war ended in 1945, marriages spiked, and soon after, so did births, ultimately leading to the 1946-1964 baby boom. Census historical marital status data shows that in 1940, men in the U.S. typically got married by 24, while women did so at 21. In 1950, that age dropped to 22 and 20, respectively.

By 1950, around 4 in 5 young college-aged married women were not working outside the home, but a second feminist wave was well on its way. By the late 1960s and 1970s, women were again entering the workforce—and trends show working women get married at a later age.

Even with the typical age of marriage increasing over the years, location also impacts this phenomenon.

Census data shows that over the last decade, the median age of a man's first marriage has dropped at least half a year in states such as Mississippi, South Dakota, and West Virginia. For women, New Mexico is the only state where a similar decrease (of at least half a year) has occurred.

In Utah, which has the largest Mormon population in the nation, the youngest median age for women getting married is 26. In northern Virginia, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will encourage young people to prioritize marriage over education. In Idaho and Arkansas, one of the country's most religious states, the typical age of marriage for women is 26.

The youngest median age for men in Utah is 26, while men in South Dakota and Mississippi— two other top religious U.S. states—tie at 27.

At the other end of the spectrum, Puerto Rico has one of the oldest median ages for women and men getting married at 35. One contributing factor to this could be a major overall population decrease in the island. The population of people ages 20 to 24 dropped 18.8% from 2014 to 2023, while that of people ages 25 to 44 lowered 10.5%. That is, there were approximately 1 in 7 fewer Puerto Ricans between 20 and 44 years of age during that period.

Meanwhile, in Washington D.C. and Massachusetts—states with the highest rates of women with college degrees between ages 25 and 64—the median age for marriage is 31 and 30, respectively. For men, the second and third highest median ages for getting married have been reported in Hawai'i and New York at 32.

While single-parent families tend to have worse economic outcomes, particularly for children, the good news is that stability—and therefore, higher family income—tends to rise when people wait to tie the knot later in life, according to Greenstone and Looney at Brookings.

Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Sofía Jarrín. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.