UNITED STATES — A significant shift in women’s living arrangements at the time of their first birth has occurred over the last three decades, with a larger share of women now having their first child while living with an unmarried partner (cohabiting), according to a new report released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Women’s Living Arrangements at First Birth report details how living situations—married, cohabiting, or neither—have changed between the early 1990s (1990-1994) and the early 2020s (2020-2024), broken down by educational attainment, race, and ethnicity.
Cohabitation Rises, Unpartnered Births Fall Overall
The report reveals a broad trend toward cohabitation. In the early 2020s, a greater proportion of women had their first child while cohabiting compared to the early 1990s.
Interestingly, the report also found a lower percentage of women had their first child while neither married nor living with a partner in the 2020-2024 period than in 1990-1994, suggesting that while marriage rates at first birth may have shifted, unpartnered first births have become less common.
Educational Attainment: The Widening Gap
Educational attainment is a key factor influencing living arrangements at first birth, with notable divergence between groups:
- Women with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: The percentage of first-time mothers in this group who were married at the time of birth increased substantially, rising from 74.4% in 1990-1994 to 84.5% in 2020-2024. Simultaneously, those who were neither married nor cohabiting dropped sharply, from 14.4% to just 4.4%.
- Women with Less than a Bachelor’s Degree: This group experienced a decline in marital first births, dropping from 58.6% in 1990-1994 to 40.6% in 2020-2024. For these mothers, cohabitation at first birth surged, increasing from 19.2% to 34.8% over the same period.
Race and Ethnicity: Key Trends
Living arrangements at first birth also varied significantly by racial and ethnic group in the early 1990s:
| Group | % Married at First Birth (1990-1994) |
| Asian Mothers | 81.7% |
| White Mothers | 71.8% |
| Hispanic Mothers | 61.2% |
| Black Mothers | 31.5% |
Comparing the two periods (1990-1994 and 2020-2024), the proportion of first births occurring within a marriage did not statistically change for Asian, White, or Black mothers. However, a significant drop was observed among Hispanic mothers, where the percentage who were married at first birth decreased to 43.9% in 2020-2024.
The rise in cohabitation was also evident across several groups:
- First-time White mothers saw cohabitation rise from 14.5% in 1990-1994 to 20.2% in 2020-2024.
- First-time Hispanic mothers experienced an even steeper increase in cohabitation, rising from 20.4% to 34.0% over the same period.
For more details and statistics, the full Women’s Living Arrangements at First Birth report is available on the U.S. Census Bureau website.
