News Release
Utah’s Marriage Trends: Young, Married, and Changing
April 22, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s distinctive marriage demographics set it apart from the nation. A new report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute shows that Utah has the highest percentage of married adult residents in the nation (54.9%) and comparatively small shares of widowed and divorced residents. In 2023, Utah’s female marriage rate was also the highest in the nation. Adding to these distinctive marriage demographics, Utahns marry younger than residents in every other state.
“Utah’s marriage trends, though distinct, also reflect broader national shifts,” said Heidi Prior, public policy analyst at the Gardner Institute and lead author of the report. “Utahns are waiting longer to marry than they did in the past, and the state’s share of never-married residents is growing, especially in younger age groups. Data since 2010 also shows that Utah’s marriage and divorce rates are both declining.”
Key findings from the report include the following:
Utahns marry at a high rate – Nearly 55% of Utahns age 15 and older are currently married—a higher percentage than any other U.S. state. Utah’s female marriage rate is the highest in the nation.
Young adults drive declines in the share of married Utahns – In 1980, 63.4% of Utahns were married, compared to 54.9% today. This decline is most pronounced among 15 to 34-year-olds, a trend also observed at the national level.
Rising marriage age – Utah’s median age at first marriage in 2023 was 26.8 for males and 25.2 for females—about four years older than in 2000. Despite the increase, Utah still has the youngest median marriage age in the nation.
Higher degrees, higher married share – More than three-quarters of Utahns (age 25 and older) with graduate degrees are married, compared to 55.7% of residents who failed to complete high school.
Divorce rates falling – Divorce rates in Utah and the U.S. have fallen over the past decade, with 13.3 out of every 1,000 married women in Utah divorcing in 2023—a rate similar to the nation. In comparison, Utah’s divorce rate in 2010 was 21.6 per 1,000 married women.