Who marries and when? Age at first marriage in the United States: 2002.

Smaller percentages of • non-Hispanic black men aged 35–44 who are below the poverty line have been married by age 35 than non-Hispanic black men of the same age who are at least 200% above poverty. During the latter half of the 20th century, there were notable increases in the age at first marriage among Americans and related increases in the proportion of unmarried and never-married adults (1,2). Research finds that, in comparison with unmarried persons, married persons tend to exhibit greater physical, emotional, and economic wellbeing, although the association may vary by outcome, sex, and other factors (3–5). Children in households with two married parents differ from those in other types of households on measures such as child achievement, but the causal processes are complex (4,6,7). Given the potential benefits of marriage, concerns over a decline in marriage have prompted a great deal of attention as well as investment in marriage promotion programs, such as the Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy Marriage Initiative (8). This report highlights what we know about the incidence and timing of first marriage among women and men 15–44 years of age in the United States, based on data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) conducted in 2002.