One-Person Households on the Rise

Washington, DC, May 26, 2015—The one-person household in the U.S. has risen significantly over the last 100 years, according to research from the U.S. Census Bureau. A century ago, less than 6% of all households were comprised of a single member. As of 2012, that number rose to 27.5%, when 15.2% of households were women living alone, and 12.3% were men living alone.

This trend is impacted by a variety of factors, including gains in life expectancy, improved health at older ages, improved economic well-being of the older populations, an increasing age at first marriage in the latter 20^th century, and shifts in the acceptability of young women living alone.