Love might be hard to quantify, but Pew Research Center crunched the cold, hard numbers and discovered data that proves that when it comes to matters of the heart, sometimes it’s all about location, location, location.
Using census data of unmarried men and women ages 24 to 34, Pew Research Center created a map of the marriage market for young adults in certain metropolitan areas around the country.
According to Pew, “The share of American adults who have never been married is at a record high (20%), and young adults are at the leading edge of this national trend.” While it may seem like young adults simply want to avoid holy matrimony altogether, Pew also found that 53% of never-married American adults would like to say “I do” eventually.
The rise of unmarried adults is due, at least in part, to the fact that millennials simply don’t place the same value on marriage as previous generations. Many adults are choosing to live together, and even raise children together, without officially tying the knot. As Pew notes, the median age of first marriage is 29 for men and 27 for women. In 1960 the median ages were 23 and 20, respectively.
Many factors are considered when choosing a spouse, of course, but Pew’s research shows that 78% of never-married women say it’s “very important” for a potential spouse to have a steady job. Nationally, the male-to-female ratio in the 25 to 34 single adults demographic is 115:100, but as soon as you limit it to men who are employed, that number drops to 84:100.
Love might be more difficult to find than we thought.
So what does the marriage market look like in Alabama? Pew divided up the state into 10 metropolitan areas to shed some light on which areas have the best and worst prospects.
If you’re a woman hoping to marry an employed man, then Huntsville is your best option, with a ratio of employed men to women of 96:100. However, you might want to stay away from Mobile, where the ratio of 55:100 might leave you feeling less than optimistic about your chances of finding a potential suitor. If you’re a woman looking for a man, but not necessarily an employed one, then Gadsden is your best bet, with a ratio of 148:100 men to women.
Check out the map below to see how the rest of the country fared:
