Most couples are relatively close in age
The Census Bureau's 2025 Current Population Survey comparison found that more than one-third of recorded opposite-sex couples in the same home were within one year of the same age. Pew's 2022 American Community Survey analysis found that 51% of opposite-sex marriages were within two years.
The thresholds differ: within one year versus within two years. Do not place the percentages in one chart as if they describe the same group.
The average marriage gap has narrowed
Pew calculated an average 2.2-year difference between husbands and wives in 2022, down from 2.4 years in 2000 and 4.9 years in 1880.
The analysis is limited to opposite-sex married couples who live together because both spouses’ ages must appear in the same household record.
A common pattern is not a dating rule
Couple data show which relationships exist, not which age differences people should prefer. They also do not measure compatibility, relationship quality, or whether age caused an outcome.
The familiar ‘half your age plus seven’ formula is a social convention, not a Census or CDC standard. Descriptive data are more honest when presented without turning them into a prescription.
What full group does each percentage or rate use?
| Measure | Estimate | Population and year |
|---|---|---|
| Partners within one year | More than one-third | Opposite-sex couples living in the same home, 2025 CPS |
| Spouses within two years | 51% | Opposite-sex marriages, 2022 ACS |
| Spouses within two years | 46% | Opposite-sex marriages, 2000 |
| Average spousal age gap | 2.2 years | Opposite-sex marriages, 2022 |
| Average spousal age gap | 2.4 years | Opposite-sex marriages, 2000 |
| Average spousal age gap | 4.9 years | Opposite-sex marriages, 1880 |
What does “denominator” mean? The denominator is the whole group used to calculate a percentage or rate.
How to read it: The one-year and two-year thresholds are not interchangeable; both sources require partners observed in the same household.
Download this table (CSV) ↓