Ruth Institute Blog

Question: What percentage of African American adults (aged 20-54) were married in 1970 and in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available?

1. African Americans have always had the perception that “marriage is for white people,” and nothing much has changed that. Only 50% of adults were married in 1970, and 40% are married today.
2. African American adults have followed the general trend of declining propensity to marry. About 60% of African American adults were married in 1970 and about 40% are married today, mirroring the 20 percentage point decline in the general population.
3. African Americans used to marry at about the same rate as the general population, but now are much less likely to do so. 70% of African American adults were married in 1970, compared with 40% in 2008, a decline of 30 percentage points.

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