(CNN) -- Married couples have dropped below half of all U.S households, marking a historic shift in what constitutes the traditional American family, according to census data released Thursday.
Those who have tied the knot represent roughly 48% of all American households, steadily dropping from 1990 and 2000 but falling off sharply from 78% in 1950.
The number of those married with children compared with the days of the baby boomers is also markedly different, according to the results of the 2010 census.
In 1950, 43% of American households were married couples with at least one child under the age of 18.
That number has plummeted to about one-fifth of all U.S. households.
The figures reflect part of a changing American reality, says Brookings Institution senior fellow and demographer William Frey.
Higher divorce rates, a willingness to marry later in life and greater gender equality gleaned from the women's movement over past decades have in part removed social taboos of unmarried cohabitation, he says.
"When you talk about family values, some of that message is more for the older population who are nostalgic about that kind of value," he added. "It's not representative of today's household."
Still, the numbers of married households vary by state, tending to increase in border states where large Hispanic households represent a growing portion of the population.
Texas represents nearly 51%, while California's households stand at just over 49% married.
Frey attributes that modality to what he calls traditionally family-oriented characteristics of immigrant and first-generation populations.
The highest number of married households is represented in Utah, with roughly 61%, while the lowest state is New York, with nearly 44%.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|