The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Barna
New data from Barna’s The State of Today’s Family report—part of a multi-year, multi-partner study called the Flourishing Families Initiative—reveals a nuanced portrait of marriage, parenting and relationships in the U.S.—and offers ministry leaders an opportunity to reflect on how they can help couples and individuals flourish in every season of family life.
Here are shifts on marriage and divorce that are affecting the future of relationships in the U.S. today.
1. First-Time Marriages Are Down: About half of U.S. adults today are married (46% according to Barna; 51% according to the U.S. Census). In 1950, two-thirds of adults were married—a steady decline over 70 years.
2. Divorces Are Steady, But So Are Remarriages: Eighteen percent of U.S. adults tell Barna they have been divorced at some point.
3. Unmarried Cohabitation Is Rare, But Accepted (Even by Christians): U.S. census data show that just 8 percent of adults currently live with a partner outside of marriage
Source: Barna
https://www.barna.com/trends/marriage-divorce-trends-2025/