A recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that more women had their first child while living with an unmarried partner in the early 2020s compared to the early 1990s. The Women’s Living Arrangements at First Birth report details how women’s living situations—whether married, cohabiting, or neither—at the time of their first birth have changed over three decades, with variations by education level and race or ethnicity.
According to the findings, fewer women had their first child while neither married nor living with a partner in 2020-2024 than in 1990-1994.
The report highlights educational differences. Among first-time mothers with at least a bachelor’s degree, those who were married at the time of their first birth increased from 74.4% in 1990-1994 to 84.5% in 2020-2024. In this group, only 4.4% were neither married nor living with a partner during 2020-2024, down from 14.4% three decades earlier.
In contrast, for women without a bachelor’s degree, marriage rates at first birth declined from 58.6% to 40.6%. Cohabitation among these women rose significantly from 19.2% to 34.8%.
The data also show differences by race and ethnicity. In the early 1990s, Asian women were most likely to be married when they had their first child (81.7%), followed by White (71.8%), Hispanic (61.2%), and Black (31.5%) mothers.
By the early 2020s, the share of Hispanic mothers who were married at first birth dropped to 43.9%. There was no statistical change for Asian, White or Black mothers regarding marital status at first birth during this period.
Cohabitation rates increased among both White and Hispanic first-time mothers: for Whites from 14.5% to 20.2%, and for Hispanics from 20.4% to 34%.
For further information on these trends, refer to resources such as the Current Population Survey June Fertility Supplement File and America Counts.
