National Unmarried and Singles Week

National Unmarried and Singles week is observed during the third full week of September (Sept. 17-23 in 2006). The organization, Unmarried America, is behind the idea.

Some web sites crunched the numbers and apparently 41% of Americans 18 and older are unmarried or single. Or in other words over 89 million people. That is higher than I would have expected. 41% - that is two out of every five people you meet. I thought the percentage of unmarried people would be lower. I was going to say "its seems as if the majority of people you meet are married"... and that's obviously true at 59%, so I guess I mean I would have thought the great majority of people are married. I wonder if my impression is based on that I live in a rural area, and my assumption is that cities have a larger percentage of single people?

I looked at the 2005 Census Bureau data for my state, Montana. (Click on image for a larger view.) How many people are unmarried in Montana?

• Men: 42.2%
  
• Women: 43.6%
  

But this is 15 and older. The 15-18 age range will skew the unmarried percentage higher.

Here is the 18 and older population for Montana. I realize some people get married before they are 18, but I have no way to separate those numbers from the married numbers. I am assuming the numbers are not that many, so I will use the 18 and over totals in calculating the unmarried percentage.

• Men: 38.9%
  
• Women: 40.7%
  

The 15-18 age does affect the unmarried percentage.

Still, an average of a little under 40% for both sexes... not that far off the national average of 41%, which includes large cities.

From the census bureau breakdown of marital status, you can see "single" is defined by married or not married. Unmarried people would include people living together, and these people are not really "single". So what is the true number for single people? I can't easily figure it out. I imagine that if one looks at the household data and compares it somehow to marital data maybe one could figure it out. It's getting late so I am not up for figuring it out.

I did a quick look at Minnesota's 18 and older numbers as I used to live there.

• Men: 39.4%
• Women: 42.1

I don't know how to explain the higher percentage of single women in Minnesota, Perhaps Minneapolis/St. Paul (a large metro area) is part of the explanation.

And lastly, where I grew up: North Dakota

• Men: 38.4%
• Women: 41%
  

The largest gap between the sexes is in the most rural state, North Dakota. I think this is due to the gap between the sexes for the number of widowed people. The gap between the sexes is higher in North Dakota and lower in Montana. Also, when comparing the widowed numbers between Montana and North Dakota, it makes me wonder if the widowed numbers are behind why Montana has a higher percentage of single people than North Dakota.

Anyway... back to the National Unmarried and Singles week.

Using Google it seems as if most of the sites that mention the National Unmarried and Singles week (or National Singles week) are dating sites or single events web sites. This week doesn't seem to be making a splash in the public consciousness. Have you heard of it before reading this? Maybe this week is being overshadowed because it is also Reye's Syndrome and Prostate Cancer Awareness week.

For more info on singles numbers in the U.S., this web site has a summary. The Unmarried America site also has numbers on singles under their "facts on singles" link.

I know that this is our week, but how are us singles suppose to celebrate? Or are we suppose to celebrate it? After all, one doesn't celebrate prostate cancer awareness week!