FP-20-27 Thirty Years of Changing Cohabitation Experience in the U.S., 1987-2017

This Family Profile documents shifts in the percentage of women who have ever cohabited over the past thirty years (1987 to 2017). Due to the relatively short duration of cohabiting unions (about 2 years), it is important to examine changes in women\u27s experiences of cohabitation and not just their status at the time of interview (Lamidi, Manning, & Brown, 2019). To provide three decades of cohabitation trends, we draw on two published articles (Bumpass & Lu, 2000; Kennedy & Bumpass, 2008), Family Profile 17-02 (Hemez and Manning 2017), and analyses using the recently released National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). Estimates for 2017 are based on the newly released 2015-2019 NSFG cycle. Check out the NCFMR full set of profiles on cohabitation including FP-18-22, FP-19-02, and FP-20-12. For more information on the NSFG, see the 2017-2019 Cycle of National Survey of Family Growth and the NSFG web page (NCHS, 2020). All analyses are weighted based on recommendations by NCHS. The age restriction of 19-44 is imposed to allow comparisons across a long-time horizon

Rural children are more likely to live in cohabiting-couple households

As cohabiting increases nationwide, new data show that the growing rate of children in these households is most pronounced in rural areas. This brief analyzes recent U.S. Census Bureau data to explore these trends and patterns

FP-21-04 Trends in Cohabitation Prior to Marriage

Cohabitation prior to marriage has become a normative pathway to marriage in the U.S. The current profile examines shifts in the percentage of women who cohabited before marriage starting fifty years ago according to marriage cohorts. We report published results and use the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to estimate the share of women who cohabited prior to marriage in each cohort. We also provide an up-to-date analysis comparing the experiences of two recent marriage cohorts (2005-2009 and 2015-2019). We present changes in premarital cohabitation according to educational attainment and present differentials in the age at marriage. Note that our analytical sample is not representative of the cohabitation experiences of all women in the U.S. because we only consider those who have ever married. This profile references different-gender couples due to data constraints in the NSFG. Check out the NCFMR profiles on cohabitation including FP-18-22, FP-19-02, & FP-20-12. For more information on the NSFG, see the 2017-2019 Cycle of National Survey of Family Growth and the NSFG web page (NCHS, 2020). All estimates are based on weighted analyses. The age restriction of 19 to 44-year-olds is imposed to allow comparisons across a long-time horizon