“National Singles Week” was started by the Buckeye Singles Council in Ohio in the 1980s to celebrate single life and recognize singles and their contributions to society. The week is now widely observed during the third full week of September (Sept. 17-23 in 2006) as “Unmarried and Single Americans Week,” an acknowledgment that many unmarried Americans do not identify with the word “single” because they are parents, have partners or are widowed.

Single Life
89.8 million
Number of unmarried and single Americans in 2005. This group comprised 41 percent of all U.S. residents age 18 and older.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/006840.html>

54%
Percentage of unmarried and single Americans who are women.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/006840.html>

60%
Percentage of unmarried and single Americans who have never been married. Another 25 percent are divorced and 15 percent are widowed.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/006840.html>

14.9 million
Number of unmarried and single Americans age 65 and older. These older Americans comprise 14 percent of all unmarried and single people.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/006840.html>

86
Number of unmarried men age 18 and older for every 100 unmarried women in the United States.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/006840.html>

55 million
Number of households maintained by unmarried men or women. These households comprise 49 percent of households nationwide.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/006840.html>

29.9 million
Number of people who live alone. These persons comprise 26 percent of all households, up from 17 percent in 1970.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/006840.html>

Parenting
32%
Percentage of births in 2004 to unmarried women. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/fertility.html>

12.9 million
Number of single parents living with their children in 2005. Of these, 10.4 million are single mothers.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/006840.html>

40%
Percentage of opposite-sex, unmarried-partner households that include children.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/006840.html>

672,000
Number of unmarried grandparents who were caregivers for their grandchildren in 2004. They comprised nearly 3-in-10 grandparents who were responsible for their grandchildren. (Source: American FactFinder)

Unmarried Couples
4.9 million
Number of unmarried-partner households in 2005. These households consist of a householder living with someone of the opposite sex who was identified as their unmarried partner.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/006840.html>

Dating
904
The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2002. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenues. <http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/guide/SUBSUMM.HTM>

Voters
36%
Percentage of voters in the 2004 presidential election who were unmarried.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/voting/004986.html>

Education
82%
Percentage of unmarried people age 25 or older in 2004 who were high school graduates.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/004214.html>

23%
Percentage of unmarried people age 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree or more education.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/004214.html>

“Special Editions” of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Facts for Features are issued to provide background information for less known observances, anniversaries of historic events and other timely topics in the news.