We may have grown up dreaming in dresses and wedding bells, but factually, New York State residents are the least likely to ever marry out of every U.S. state. In fact, one in three New Yorkers have never married.
The results derive from a study by law firm, Schmidt & Clark, that used information on marital history from the U.S. Census Bureau and the American Community Survey. After examining those ages 15 and above in each state categorically by never married, ever married and how many marriages, New York residents were found to be the least likely to ever marry. 38.61% of New Yorkers have never been married. Statistically speaking, that’s 17.4% higher than the national never married average.
More specifically, the study data suggests that New York women were the least likely to wed out of every state. More than a third of New York women never marry (36.29%). And even though 41.08% of New York men don’t ever marry, Rhode Island men are the least likely of any state to ever get married with 41.15% never marrying.
This ultimately puts Rhode Island in second place for states least likely to marry. California, Massachusetts and Louisiana follow in third, fourth and fifth.
“It is interesting to find that states like New York and California are among those least likely to get married whilst also being among the most populated states in the country,” noted a Schmidt & Clark spokesperson. “Classically known for their wealth of opportunities for flourishing careers in international sectors and their cosmopolitan, diverse cities, perhaps residents are more enticed by personal pursuits than ‘settling down’ in the traditional sense.”
Inversely, the top five states where its residents are most likely to get married include Wyoming, Idaho, Maine, West Virginia and Arkansas, in that order. Approximately 3 out of 4 people (15+) in the top five states are married.
But don’t let all these statistics knock you down, because NYC was voted the top city in the world to meet your soulmate.