Family By The Numbers

Do you like statistics? A recent issue of Parade magazine featured dozens of facts and figures, from the best sports city (Chicago) to the skinniest state (Colorado). Also included were some numbers and trends related to marriage and family.

I thought I’d share some of them with you here and invite your comment:

Marriage Figures

•  54.1 percent of adults reported being married in 2010
•  2.1 million marriages took place in 2009.
• 17% of people who married in the past three years met online.

Source: U.S. Census, CDC, Match.com;Chadwick Martin Bailey study

If you and your spouse are among those wedded through a cyber romance, I’d love to hear from you, as well as those of you who have surpassed the half-century mark.

Engagements and Weddings

• $5,392: Average cost of an engagement ring.
• $1,099: Average amount spent on a wedding dress.
• $26,984: Average cost of a wedding.

Source: The Knot, Inc.

Less than half of couples invest in premarital counseling (a minimal cost) yet research shows it can reduce the likelihood of divorce by 30%.
Dating

• 50% of women say they would ask a man on a first date.
• 13% of people have walked out in the middle of a first date.
• 66% of people decide in the first half hour if there will be another date.
• $927 Million: Annual revenue of dating services (online and off)

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, marriage May 10, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura