U.S. men
Median age at first marriage
MARRIAGE AGE / 2024 ACS← Main calculator
Average marriage age in America.
The official metric is median.
The 2024 American Community Survey estimates the median age at first marriage at 30.8 for men and 28.8 for women nationwide. Searchers say “average,” but the Census state ranking tables publish a median, so this page keeps the distinction explicit.
SEE THE EVIDENCE↓30.8 / 28.8men / women
2024 U.S. median age at first marriage
American Community Survey one-year estimate. This is a median, despite the common search wording “average age of marriage.”
U.S. women
Median age at first marriage
Utah men
Lowest state estimate
D.C. women
Highest estimate in table
ALL 50 STATES + D.C.
Median age at first marriage by state
2024 ACS one-year ranking tables R1204 and R1205. “Average” is the common query; median is the Census Bureau’s actual measure.
| State | Men | Women | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 29.6 | 27.0 | 2.6 yrs |
| Alaska | 28.3 | 25.5 | 2.8 yrs |
| Arizona | 30.9 | 28.4 | 2.5 yrs |
| Arkansas | 27.2 | 25.8 | 1.4 yrs |
| California | 32.1 | 30.4 | 1.7 yrs |
| Colorado | 30.8 | 28.6 | 2.2 yrs |
| Connecticut | 32.4 | 30.3 | 2.1 yrs |
| Delaware | 31.1 | 29.7 | 1.4 yrs |
| District of Columbia | 32.2 | 32.3 | -0.1 yrs |
| Florida | 31.2 | 29.3 | 1.9 yrs |
| Georgia | 30.8 | 28.8 | 2.0 yrs |
| Hawaii | 30.9 | 29.7 | 1.2 yrs |
| Idaho | 28.2 | 25.4 | 2.8 yrs |
| Illinois | 31.3 | 29.9 | 1.4 yrs |
| Indiana | 29.5 | 27.5 | 2.0 yrs |
| Iowa | 29.4 | 26.9 | 2.5 yrs |
| Kansas | 28.8 | 26.2 | 2.6 yrs |
| Kentucky | 27.8 | 26.5 | 1.3 yrs |
| Louisiana | 30.2 | 27.3 | 2.9 yrs |
| Maine | 30.5 | 28.0 | 2.5 yrs |
| Maryland | 32.2 | 29.6 | 2.6 yrs |
| Massachusetts | 32.4 | 30.9 | 1.5 yrs |
| Michigan | 31.0 | 28.7 | 2.3 yrs |
| Minnesota | 30.6 | 28.6 | 2.0 yrs |
| Mississippi | 27.5 | 26.5 | 1.0 yrs |
| Missouri | 29.2 | 26.8 | 2.4 yrs |
| Montana | 30.5 | 28.0 | 2.5 yrs |
| Nebraska | 29.2 | 26.8 | 2.4 yrs |
| Nevada | 31.7 | 30.0 | 1.7 yrs |
| New Hampshire | 32.4 | 30.0 | 2.4 yrs |
| New Jersey | 31.6 | 29.8 | 1.8 yrs |
| New Mexico | 32.0 | 29.4 | 2.6 yrs |
| New York | 31.9 | 30.4 | 1.5 yrs |
| North Carolina | 29.9 | 27.5 | 2.4 yrs |
| North Dakota | 28.3 | 26.0 | 2.3 yrs |
| Ohio | 30.1 | 27.5 | 2.6 yrs |
| Oklahoma | 28.1 | 26.4 | 1.7 yrs |
| Oregon | 30.3 | 29.2 | 1.1 yrs |
| Pennsylvania | 30.9 | 29.3 | 1.6 yrs |
| Rhode Island | 32.2 | 30.9 | 1.3 yrs |
| South Carolina | 29.5 | 28.0 | 1.5 yrs |
| South Dakota | 27.5 | 26.2 | 1.3 yrs |
| Tennessee | 28.7 | 27.1 | 1.6 yrs |
| Texas | 30.4 | 27.9 | 2.5 yrs |
| Utah | 27.2 | 25.2 | 2.0 yrs |
| Vermont | 30.8 | 29.8 | 1.0 yrs |
| Virginia | 30.8 | 28.7 | 2.1 yrs |
| Washington | 31.0 | 28.8 | 2.2 yrs |
| West Virginia | 27.7 | 26.8 | 0.9 yrs |
| Wisconsin | 30.5 | 28.3 | 2.2 yrs |
| Wyoming | 28.7 | 25.9 | 2.8 yrs |
Values are survey estimates. A one-decimal difference in rank may not be statistically meaningful without comparing margins of error.
THE SHORT ANSWER
What the number can—and cannot—say.
Median is not the same as average
A median is the midpoint: half of first marriages occur below that estimated age and half above. A mean adds all ages and divides by the number of people. Census table B12007 and ranking tables R1204–R1205 report medians, not means.
Use one Census product for comparisons
The national and state values on this page all come from the 2024 ACS one-year ranking tables. Census also publishes a historical Current Population Survey series, but its survey design and estimates should not be mixed into an ACS state ranking.
State differences are descriptive
The table shows where first marriages occurred earlier or later in the survey estimate. It does not prove why; education, housing, migration, religion, economics, and population composition may all be associated.
First marriage is a narrower measure
The statistic describes first marriage, not remarriage, engagement, cohabitation, or the age of every married resident. Someone who married years earlier contributes to a different question than someone first marrying now.
D.C. is included but is not a state
The official ranking table contains the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the United States. This site shows the 50 states plus D.C. and keeps Puerto Rico outside the calculator’s current geography.
Sampling uncertainty still applies
ACS values are survey estimates with margins of error. Small differences between neighboring ranks may not be statistically meaningful, so the table is better for broad comparison than declaring a one-decimal winner.
SOURCE RECEIPTS
Open the evidence yourself.
- 01Primary source ↗
Census ACS Ranking Table R1204
2024 median age at first marriage for men, United States and states.
- 02Primary source ↗
Census ACS Ranking Table R1205
2024 median age at first marriage for women, United States and states.
- 03Primary source ↗
Census Historical Marital Status Tables
National historical series and Table MS-2 documentation.
COMMON FOLLOW-UPS
What is the average age of marriage in the United States?
The official 2024 ACS state-comparable metric is a median age at first marriage: 30.8 for men and 28.8 for women nationwide. It is often called an average in search queries, but it is not a mathematical mean.
What is the average marriage age by state?
It ranges widely. In the 2024 ACS table, men ranged from 27.2 in Utah and Arkansas to 32.4 in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Women ranged from 25.2 in Utah to 32.3 in the District of Columbia.
What state gets married the youngest?
Utah had the lowest 2024 median age at first marriage for women at 25.2 and tied closely among the lowest for men at 27.2. Rankings are survey estimates and close values may overlap within their margins of error.
What state gets married the latest?
Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire tied at 32.4 for men. The District of Columbia was highest for women at 32.3; among the 50 states, Massachusetts and Rhode Island were 30.9.
Is this the age people are currently married?
No. It is the estimated median age at first marriage, not the median age of the married population and not the age at remarriage.
Why do Census marriage-age estimates differ online?
Different pages may use different years, surveys, universes, or measures. The ACS supports current state comparisons; the Current Population Survey supports a longer historical national series. They should be labeled rather than treated as interchangeable.
Does marrying later cause lower divorce rates?
This table cannot answer that causal question. It reports age at first marriage by geography and does not control for the many factors related to relationship outcomes.
Where did the state data come from?
The values are transcribed from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 ACS one-year ranking tables R1204 for men and R1205 for women, which are based on table B12007.
POPULAR QUESTIONS
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Plain-language answers for the dating-statistics questions people are already arguing about—each connected to the underlying calculator.