More Americans are living alone than ever before: nearly 38 million people, or about 28% of all U.S. households, live by themselves, according to 2023 U.S. Census data.
That’s a big increase since 1950, when only about 15% of adults lived alone. The number of one-person households has more than tripled since 1940, when it was just 7.7%.
A big reason people are living on their own is because they’re choosing to marry later. In the 1960s, the average marriage age for women was around 20 years old; today, it’s 28. For men, the average age has risen from 22.8 in the ‘60s to about 30 years old today.
And some are choosing not to get married at all. The percentage of households with a married couple peaked in 1949, at 78.8%. Since 2010, that percentage has stayed below 50%.
Living alone can be more expensive. While food and entertainment costs tend to be lower, the cost of housing is often significantly higher. According to an analysis from This Old House, married homeowner couples tend to spend 40% of their income on housing, while single men who own homes spend 67% and single women spend 92%. And single people don’t benefit from the economies of scale that come from sharing household costs.
The slideshow above highlights the 10 most affordable cities for singles according to a study by Rocket Moving.
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