We often hear about younger generations marrying later in life, but in some U.S. regions, Gen Z is already starting careers, purchasing homes, and walking down the aisle. In most cities, Gen Zers are more likely to say “I don’t,” but where are young couples saying “I do”? In this study, the team at Shane Co. analyzed U.S. Census marriage data in 100 U.S. cities to determine where the highest percentage of Gen Zers are getting hitched. We also took a closer look at the median age of marriage in every state to determine where the youngest married people are located around the country.
Where Are the Most (and Least) Gen Zers Getting Hitched?
Over one in five Gen Zers in Provo, Utah, are married. One of the reasons Provo has such a high population of married people in their early-to-mid 20s is due to the influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormons are known for placing a strong emphasis on traditional family values, and roughly 89% of Provo’s population affiliates with the LDS church.
Three cities in the bottom 10 (Boston, San Francisco, and New Haven, Connecticut) are in areas with highly respected colleges, and students at Harvard, Stanford, and Yale are more likely to follow intellectual pursuits before settling down romantically. Unsurprisingly, residents in the nation’s renowned education hubs are more likely to focus on their careers before finding their life-long loves.
The Average Age of Marriage in Every State
Utah comes in first as the state that gets married at the youngest age, as the average marriage age is just under 26 years old. The Beehive State has the highest proportion of married adults in the U.S., with Idaho and Wyoming following closely behind. Idaho and Wyoming also come in third and fifth place, respectively, on our list of the youngest average marriage ages in the country.
Residents in the District of Columbia are more likely to hold off on tying the knot. On average, most couples wait until they’re around 32 before getting married. With so many big decisions being made on Capitol Hill, we guess that many couples in the District of Columbia perform their own checks and balances before deciding whether they’re ready to get married.
Californians and New Yorkers are also likely to hit 30 before putting a ring on it. While the Western U.S. has more married Gen Zers at nearly 7%, California stands out for playing the waiting game before walking down the aisle. Couples in California wait until they are just under 31 on average before marrying. Up North, only 2.44% of Gen Zers hear wedding bells in their future. According to the data, New Yorkers have the third-oldest average marrying age in the United States.
Full Data
The table below shows the percentage of the Gen Z population that is married in 100 of America’s largest cities. Search for the city you call home to see if you’ll marry young or hold off a little bit before getting hitched!
Closing Thoughts
Young love has a reputation for being passionate and burning out quickly, but we can see that isn’t the case in every state across the U.S. Chances are, if you live in Utah or somewhere along the West Coast, you got married young or might get married young. Meanwhile, Americans up North are holding off on exchanging their vows until they are well into their 30s. No matter how old you are when you decide to get married, Shane Co. has a wide selection of engagement rings and wedding bands to make your special day even better.
Methodology
Using U.S. Census marriage data from The American Community Survey, we collected the total number of married residents, aged 18 to 24 years old, in 100 of America’s largest cities. We divided that number by the total number of Gen Z residents to find the percentage of Gen Zers that are married in each city. Further, we collected the median age at first marriage in each state, also using Census data.
