Research Findings
Understanding the causes and contributing factors to marriage challenges in Black families
A Dramatic Historical Reversal
Prior to the 1960s, Black adults aged 35+ were more likely to be married than White Americans. This completely reversed over the following decades. Between 1970 and 2020, the percentage of never-married Black men surged from 35.6% to 51.4% (+15.8 pts) and for Black women from 27.7% to 47.5% (+19.8 pts) — more than double the increase seen in the overall population.