Nevada and Hawaii had the highest rates of matrimony in 2021 following a sharp overall decline the year the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.
While 2021 was a year still marked by negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, data shows that at least one institution – marriage – saw a bounce back.
The rate of marriage increased in nearly every state in 2021 and went up 18% overall, from 5.1 marriages per 1,000 population to 6.0. That marked the biggest year-to-year jump since the end of World War II, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. The total number of marriages also jumped by 18% to nearly 2 million, according to provisional data cited in a CDC post highlighting the turnaround.
The rebounds came after marriages decreased by nearly 17% in 2020, with the approximately 1.7 million that occurred that year marking the lowest recorded total in the U.S. since 1963. The U.S. marriage rate in 2021 was still down 2% compared with 2019, when marriage already had been trending downward, the CDC said.
Just like in 2020, Nevada had by far the highest marriage rate in 2021 – which is unsurprising since Las Vegas is a popular spot for nuptials. (The CDC notes that marriage rates reflect the location where a marriage occurred, and not necessarily the place of residence for those involved.) The Silver State was followed by several states in the West and South.
5 States With the Highest Marriage Rates in 2021:
5 States With the Lowest Marriage Rates in 2021:
- Louisiana (4.4)
- Massachusetts (4.6)
- Illinois (4.7)
- Minnesota (4.8)
- Delaware (4.9)
Marriage rates rebounded the most in New Mexico – which saw a 74% percent increase in 2021 – along with Hawaii (73%) and California (63%), the CDC said. Even Nevada’s rate went up 25% year over year after the state boasted the highest rate of matrimony in 2020.
North Dakota, on the other hand, was the only state that saw its marriage rate decrease from 2020 to 2021, with a roughly 2% drop that was not considered statistically significant, according to the CDC. An uptick in Idaho also was not significant, per the CDC.
