Census Report Says!

A newly released Census Report found many regional differences in the marrying habits of Americans. Those near the East and West coasts generally wait longer to get married than those in Middle America. The study also found that Southerners are the least likely to live together without the benefit of marriage.

Generally later marriage is very strongly associated with higher levels of education. David Popenoe, co-director of the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University says,"That's why people in the Northeast have such a late age of marriage."

The age when couples get married can also be influenced by religion and whether they are willing to live together without getting married. Some experts believe living together before marriage contributes to delaying marriage. "Men marry too late from the point of view of women, especially educated men. It leaves more women single, or marrying beyond the age of childbirth."

The Census Bureau analyzed data from the American Community Survey from 2000 to 2003, developing state-by-state averages on marriage and fertility for the first time.

Other interesting data from the study:

One-fifth of all new mothers in California either did not speak English well or did not speak it at all.

Fifteen percent of all new mothers in the U.S. were not citizens.

Hispanics had the highest birth rates, while non-Hispanic whites had the lowest birth rate.