More Than Half of Americans Are Now Officially Single

If you're an un-married American, you can now find comfort from the crushing loneliness in the fact that being single puts you in the majority in this country. According to a government report, more than half of the adult population in United States is now single. That's the largest number of people without spouses in the US since the government began taking note of the population's relationship stats in the 70s.

Today, 124.6 million Americans (or 50.2 percent of everyone over the age of 16) describe themselves as being single. The number was below 50 percent since the start of 2013, but in recent months the amount of people flying solo increased enough to push it over the line to more than half. When the Bureau of Labor Statistics first began taking these statistics back in 1976, the number of single Americans was far lower at 37.4 percent.

What's truly striking about the numbers, which were presented in the agency's most recent monthly job market report, is the fact that a large chunk of the unwed masses simply opted to never take a stroll down the aisle. 30.4 percent of single Americans have never been married. 38 years ago, that percentage was only 22.1. And with the decreased emphasis on marriage for younger generations, it's likely that this number will only increase over time. Oh, and despite grim statements on the divorce rate, the number of people that split from a spouse hasn't increased dramatically since the stats were first collected. At this moment, an estimated 19.8 percent of Americans are divorced, as opposed to 15.3 percent in 1976.

So what else do we know about the new single majority? Its members are less inclined to own homes, preferring the reduced expenses of renting. Single Americans also don't have children as often as their paired counterparts, which means they have different economic interests and financial concerns. This might not seem like something that should warrant inspection, but when it comes to cold hard cash the single demographic is a major player: In 2012 (back before they were the majority), single Americans were contributing nearly $2 trillion to the United States economy.

Besides the economic implications of a primarily single population, experts are studying what this could mean for the US population. Some are concerned that if the birth rate drops, America could find itself with problems similar to Japan, where the low birth rate has resulted in a reduced workforce and serious demographic issues. In 2013, America saw its population growth at the lowest rate since the Great Depression.

But critics may be overstating the impact of single people on the birth rate; there are other economic, social, and health factors to consider when analyzing the population change in America. The bottom line is that being single is becoming the norm, rather than an oddity. So next time you're out with your married friends, don't let them make you feel bad for preferring to be solo; after all, they're the ones in the minority.

[Pic via Flickr - Pascal Maramis]