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Married Americans 'thriving' more amid lower marital rates, poll finds

U.S. marriage rates are back to pre-pandemic levels, according to data — still, they've declined in recent decades, Gallup reported.
A couple holds hands as they are married by a county clerk during a Valentine's Day group wedding in Miami.
Posted at 5:26 PM, Mar 22, 2024

While marriage rates in the United States appear to be experiencing a post-pandemic recovery, according to recent federal data, rates have still trended in a declining direction according to study results shared by Gallup. 

In a recent poll the organization conducted, married Americans appear to be "thriving" at noticeably higher rates than American adults who are not married, or have never been married or who are divorced, the poll results found. 

Data found that married adults aged 25 to 50 were more likely to be thriving between 2009 and 2023, Gallup said. 

Marriages in the US are back at pre-pandemic levels
Backs of a bride and groom shown as they hold hands

Marriages in the US are back at pre-pandemic levels

In 2022, the number of marriages in the U.S. surpassed the 2 million mark for the first time since 2019.

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Gallup has multiple categories for survey respondents: those who are "suffering," those who are "struggling" and those who are "thriving." To determine which category they belonged in, Gallup had respondents rate their lives now and in the future on a ladder scale with numbers between 0 and 10. 

The polling organization found that relationships in families appear to be stronger when parents are married. Couples living with children reported having a strong and loving relationship at 83%, and 69% of couples in a domestic partnership reported the same with 61% of respondents in a non-domestic exclusive relationship reporting strong and loving bonds. 

In a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health agency said it found that 2022 saw a significant increase in the amount of marriages across the United States.

Gallup said its research found that in the United States, married adults rated their lives higher than others for the last 15 years. Their data found that the act of having a strong intimate relationship with another adult is widely seen as a desirable situation, with marriage supporting that.