Further drop in US married households spurs call to action for Church leaders
February 8, 2026
Approaching the twin annual observances of World Marriage Day (Feb. 8) and National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14), America finds itself at a proverbial sociological crossroads, confronting a disconcerting question about a millennia-old institution: Does marriage matter anymore?
That startling query is prompted by new U.S. Census data from America’s Family and Living Arrangements tables — released this past December — showing that fewer than half (47%) of U.S. households in 2025 were married couples, a significant shift from 50 years earlier when nearly two-thirds (66%) were.
