Marriage records statistics show both the volume of marriages recorded in the United States and how marriage rates differ by state and year. The CDC/NCHS national table reports 2,041,926 marriages in 2023, while the state table reports rates per 1,000 residents. Together, these vital-statistics records provide a useful starting point for genealogy research and historical context.
On this page
- U.S. marriage counts from 2000 to 2011
- U.S. marriage counts from 2012 to 2023
- The 2020 drop and subsequent recovery
- Highest reported state rates in 2023
- State rates in the 1990 baseline year
- Selected state rates in 2020
U.S. marriage counts from 2000 to 2011
The CDC/NCHS source, “Provisional number and rates of marriages, divorces, and annulments: United States, 2000-2023”, labels the national marriage counts and rates provisional. The figures below are annual counts of marriages recorded in the United States, not survey estimates.
The early 2000s began with more than 2.3 million recorded marriages. The count was 2,315,000 in 2000 and rose slightly to 2,326,000 in 2001. It then moved down to 2,290,000 in 2002 and 2,245,000 in 2003. The count increased to 2,279,000 in 2004 before declining again to 2,249,000 in 2005.
The middle of the period remained above two million marriages each year, but the annual count was lower than at the start of the decade. There were 2,193,000 marriages in 2006 and 2,197,000 in 2007. The count fell to 2,157,000 in 2008 and 2,080,000 in 2009. It then edged upward to 2,096,000 in 2010 and 2,118,000 in 2011.
| Year | Recorded marriages |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,315,000 |
| 2001 | 2,326,000 |
| 2002 | 2,290,000 |
| 2003 | 2,245,000 |
| 2004 | 2,279,000 |
| 2005 | 2,249,000 |
| 2006 | 2,193,000 |
| 2007 | 2,197,000 |
| 2008 | 2,157,000 |
| 2009 | 2,080,000 |
| 2010 | 2,096,000 |
| 2011 | 2,118,000 |
For family historians, an annual national count is broad context rather than evidence about an individual couple. A particular marriage record still depends on the state, county, locality, date, and record system involved. The national series is useful for understanding the scale of the records being created during a given period.
U.S. marriage counts from 2012 to 2023
The national count was 2,131,000 in 2012. The 2013 count was 2,081,301, and the 2014 count was 2,140,272; both figures exclude Georgia data as noted in the CDC/NCHS table. The count for 2015 was 2,221,579, followed by 2,251,411 in 2016 and 2,236,496 in 2017.
The count then declined in the two years before 2020. There were 2,132,853 marriages in 2018 and 2,015,603 in 2019. The 2020 count was 1,676,911, the lowest figure in this supplied 2000–2023 series. The count rose to 1,985,072 in 2021 and 2,065,905 in 2022, before reaching 2,041,926 in 2023.
| Year | Recorded marriages | Coverage note |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2,131,000 | — |
| 2013 | 2,081,301 | Excludes Georgia data |
| 2014 | 2,140,272 | Excludes Georgia data |
| 2015 | 2,221,579 | — |
| 2016 | 2,251,411 | — |
| 2017 | 2,236,496 | — |
| 2018 | 2,132,853 | — |
| 2019 | 2,015,603 | — |
| 2020 | 1,676,911 | — |
| 2021 | 1,985,072 | — |
| 2022 | 2,065,905 | — |
| 2023 | 2,041,926 | — |
The Georgia note matters when comparing years. The 2013 and 2014 national counts are explicitly reported with Georgia data excluded, so they should not be treated as perfectly equivalent to years whose table coverage includes the full reported set. The source also identifies these national values as provisional.
The 2020 drop and subsequent recovery
The national series records 1,676,911 marriages in 2020, compared with 2,015,603 in 2019. In 2021, the count was 1,985,072, followed by 2,065,905 in 2022 and 2,041,926 in 2023. These figures describe recorded marriages in each year; they do not explain why the counts changed.
State rates add another perspective because they adjust the count for the number of residents. The CDC/NCHS “Marriage rates by State: 1990, 1995, and 2000-2023” defines the state measure as marriages per 1,000 people living in the state. Each marriage is counted in the state where the couple married.
That definition is important for interpreting 2020. A state rate is not a count of marriages involving only residents who were born there, and it is not a survey estimate of how many residents married. It reflects the location where the marriage occurred, divided into a resident-based rate as presented by the source. The national count and state rate therefore answer related but different questions.
Highest reported state rates in 2023
The 2023 state table includes several notably different rates. Nevada recorded 24.6 marriages per 1,000 residents, while Hawaii recorded 12.5. Utah recorded 11.2, and Montana recorded 9.2. Arkansas and Colorado each recorded 7.8 marriages per 1,000 residents.
Other selected 2023 figures were 7.3 in Tennessee and 7.2 in Vermont. Idaho, Wyoming, Maine, and Florida each recorded 7.0 marriages per 1,000 residents. These are state rates for 2023, not national counts and not estimates of an individual’s probability of marrying.
| State | 2023 marriages per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|
| Nevada | 24.6 |
| Hawaii | 12.5 |
| Utah | 11.2 |
| Montana | 9.2 |
| Arkansas | 7.8 |
| Colorado | 7.8 |
| Tennessee | 7.3 |
| Vermont | 7.2 |
| Idaho | 7.0 |
| Wyoming | 7.0 |
| Maine | 7.0 |
| Florida | 7.0 |
Nevada’s 24.6 rate is substantially higher than the other listed 2023 values. The state-level source does not, in the supplied figures, provide a causal explanation for the differences. For genealogy, the location rule is especially useful: a marriage may appear in the records of the state where the ceremony or legal marriage was recorded even when the people involved lived elsewhere.
State rates in the 1990 baseline year
The state table also provides a 1990 comparison point. Alabama recorded 10.6 marriages per 1,000 residents in 1990, Alaska recorded 10.2, and Arizona recorded 10.0. Georgia recorded 10.3, while Kansas recorded 9.2 and Iowa recorded 9.0.
Several other supplied 1990 rates were lower than those figures: Illinois recorded 8.8 marriages per 1,000 residents, Delaware recorded 8.4, and California and Connecticut each recorded 7.9. These values are historical state rates for 1990, preserved here as a baseline year rather than presented as current conditions.
The 1990 figures can help frame a long-run research question, such as whether a family’s state had a relatively high or low marriage-record rate at the start of the period covered by the state table. They cannot identify a particular county or household, and they should not be read as a replacement for the underlying certificate, index entry, or register.
Selected state rates in 2020
The 2020 state figures show rates below the selected 1990 and 2023 values in many of the examples provided. Louisiana and New Mexico each recorded 3.4 marriages per 1,000 residents. Michigan recorded 4.2, Minnesota recorded 4.4, and New York and Wisconsin each recorded 4.5.
Pennsylvania recorded 4.6 marriages per 1,000 residents, while Ohio and Washington each recorded 4.8. Oregon recorded 5.2, Texas recorded 5.3, and Mississippi recorded 5.7. These are the supplied 2020 state rates from the CDC/NCHS table.
| State | 2020 marriages per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|
| Louisiana | 3.4 |
| New Mexico | 3.4 |
| Michigan | 4.2 |
| Minnesota | 4.4 |
| New York | 4.5 |
| Wisconsin | 4.5 |
| Pennsylvania | 4.6 |
| Ohio | 4.8 |
| Washington | 4.8 |
| Oregon | 5.2 |
| Texas | 5.3 |
| Mississippi | 5.7 |
When using these statistics in genealogy, keep three distinctions visible: a national figure is a count, a state figure is a rate, and the rate’s geography is the state where the couple married. Also record the measurement year. The CDC/NCHS notes that the national counts and rates are provisional, while the supplied tables contain no forecast values. These limitations are part of the meaning of the statistics and should remain attached to any historical comparison.