After enduring a COVID-related slump, marriage rates in the US are finally back to pre-pandemic levels, according to stats released by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Exactly 2.06 million couples took their vows in 2022, the first time the number has surpassed 2 million since 2019. The rate of 6.2 marriages per 1,000 population was the highest since 2018, when it was 6.5.
The CDC has yet to release its numbers for 2023, but all signs point to a continuing upward trend.
The number of marriages in 2020 (at the height of COVID) was the lowest recorded in the US since 1963, as many couples had to delay weddings during the pandemic.
The beginning of a recovery was seen in 2021 as COVID-related restrictions eased up. The number of marriages increased from 1.67 million in 2020 to 1.98 million in 2021, and the rate increased from 5.1 marriages per 1,000 to 6.0.
Across the nation, 36 states and the District of Columbia reported marriage rates in 2022 that either matched or exceeded the levels seen in 2019.
The six states with the highest marriage rates in 2022 were the following:
-Nevada (25.9)
-Hawaii (14.4)
-Montana (9.9)
-Utah (9.9)
-Arkansas (7.9)
-Vermont (7.8)
The unusually high rate for Nevada is attributed to Las Vegas being the "wedding capital of the world." The CDC's data reflects the location where the marriage occurred and not necessarily the place of the couple's residence.
The six states with lowest marriage rates in 2022 are shown here:
-Louisiana (3.7)
-New Mexico (4.2)
-Illinois (4.9)
-Maryland (5.0)
-Delaware (5.1)
-New Jersey (5.1)
Historically speaking, marriage rates in the US have progressively declined since the early 1980s. The 6.2 rate in 2022 stands in sharp contrast to the all-time high of 16.4 in 1946, when soldiers returned home after serving in WWII.
The CDC also reported that the number and rate of divorces in 2022 (673,989 and 2.4 per 1,000 population) ticked down slightly from 2.5 in 2021, continuing a longstanding downward trend. In 2010, the divorce rate was 3.6 per 1,000.
Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.