Married And In The Minority

Data released late last week by the U.S. Census Bureau show that married couples are for the first time in U.S. history no longer the majority, now representing 48 percent of all households, down from 52 percent in 2000. Portland State University demographer Charles Rynerson told AP there are a couple of reasons for the trend -- the fast-growing older population is more likely to be divorced or widowed later in life, and 20-somethings are putting off marriage longer. The median age for first marriages has climbed steadily since the 1960s, from 23 for men and 20 for women then to 28 for men and 26 for women now.