EMBARGOED UNTIL: 12:01 A.M. EST, MARCH 13, 2003 (THURSDAY)

Mark Tolbert III                                            CB03-CN.05
Public Information Office
(301) 763-3691/763-3620 (fax)
(301) 457-1037 (TDD)
e-mail: 2000usa@census.gov

Census Bureau Releases Census 2000 Report on Married and Unmarried Couples

  The Census Bureau released a Census 2000 report on married- and
 unmarried -couple households today.
          
  The 16-page report, Married-Couple and Unmarried-Partner Households: 2000, by 
Tavia Simmons and Martin O'Connell, marks the first time the Census Bureau has 
issued a census report on unmarried partners. In 1990, "unmarried partner" was 
added as an option to the census question on household relationship.

  The report and supplementary tables on the Internet show numbers of married 
-couple households for 2000, as well as unmarried-partner households consisting 
of two people of the opposite sex and of two people of the same sex.

  It also shows data on residential and geographical variations in demographic 
characteristics for the four types of households, such as differences in the sex 
of the householder (the person in whose name the housing unit was owned or rented), 
the prevalence of mixed-race couples and partners, as well as differences in the 
ages of the couples or partners in the various types of households.

  A color-coded, thematic map of the United States shows the percentages
of unmarried- partner households by county.

  The report and tables may be found on the Internet at 
<http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/censr-5.pdf>, while the supplementary 
tables are at <http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/pio-phc-t19.html>.