How Educational Attainment Impacts Marital Status for Young Men and Women

New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics offers a look at the employment, educational, and marital status of young Americans at the age of 29. The data shows that as young men and women move up the educational ladder, they are more likely to married than their less-educated peers. But large gender gaps remain at all educational levels.

The tables presented in the report show that 44.7 percent of 29-year-old women were married in 2014 compared to 35.6 percent of 29-year-old women. For 29-year-old women with at least a four-year college degree, 48.6 percent were married in 2014. For 29-year-old men with a college degree, 39.7 percent were married in 2014. About 16 percent of both 29-year-old men and women with college degrees were cohabitating with a partner but were not married.

For 29-year-old women in 2014 who were high school dropouts, 37.4 percent were married in 2014. Only 31.4 percent of 29-year-old men who were high school dropout were married in 2014.