Institute for Family Studies ranks top regions for adults looking to marry

The conservative think tank released a report this month mapping out the nation’s marriage rates to help young adults identify the most promising regions for finding a spouse. Researchers analyzed microdata from IPUMS USA’s American Community Surveys collected between 2020 to 2024, and identified a connection between income, employment, and marriage rates, according to the report. The think tank compiled its findings at GoGetMarried.org, in an interactive map users can analyze based on age, education background, and religion.

Regions with the highest marriage rates: Researchers generally found the highest marriage rates for adults in their 20s among interior states like Utah, Kansas, and Tennessee. Conversely, adults in their 30s found the highest marriage rates among major urban hubs like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago.

• Provo Area of Utah recorded the highest marriage rates for Americans ages 22 to 39, with 13.2% reporting they got married for the first time within the past year. That followed by Indiana’s Fort Wayne area with nearly 11%, and Indiana’s Evansville area with over 9%.

• Even when reducing the age bracket to ages 22 to 29, the Provo area still won out with a nearly 15% marriage rate reported. West/Central Tennessee came in second place for adults in their 20s with an 11.5% rate, with the Fort Wayne area of Indiana placing third with nearly 11%.

• The San Jose, Calif. area's 11.8% marriage rate marked as the highest for never-married adults aged 30 to 39, with Denton County in Texas boasting the same rate.

Regions with the lowest marriage rates:

• Researchers flagged Newark, N.J. and Eastern Bronx, N.Y. as regions with the lowest marriage rates among 22-39 year olds, with 2.7% and 3%, respectively.

• Newark also recorded the lowest marriage rates among individuals aged 22 to 29, followed by central Los Angeles at 2.4%, and southside Chicago at 2.5%.

• The suburbs of Northwest Phoenix, Ariz., reported the lowest marriage rates among adults ages 30 to 39 at just over 2%, followed by northwest Louisiana at 2.5%, and southeastern Mississippi at 3%.

Researchers also highlighted several demographic predictors for higher marriage rates, like data showing areas with more employed single men reported higher marriage rates. The think tank also reported higher marriage rates among higher-education areas for older men, but not younger men. The report also showed a higher marriage rate among women in their 30s among regions with more higher-earning single men. Meanwhile, data showed that regions with more high-earning men did not yield higher marriage rates among women in their 20s.

Dig deeper: Read Grace Snell’s report in WORLD Magazine about how many young people desire marriage but struggle with dating.