Insights
Singles in the US: numbers by age and sex
About 114 million of the 267 million adults in the United States are single in the calculator’s sense. The page gives the split by age and sex, shows where the single shares of men and women cross, and follows one standard search down to the available singles.
The short answer
The model puts the number of single adults in the United States at about 114 million, or 43% of all adults (data year 2025): about 40% of men and 45% of women. “Single” means neither married nor in an unmarried partnership. The first age group in which women are more often single than men is 45–59. In the standard search (ages 28 to 38) about 9.4 million single women are available to a man looking for women and about 11 million single men to a woman looking for men. The band is about ±12%.
Single adults by age group and sex
The table applies the married and the partnered share of each sex and age group to the model’s population of the United States by single year of age. Everyone who is neither married nor partnered counts as single.
The table counts all adults before sexual orientation is taken into account. It shows who is neither married nor partnered, not whom a particular search would reach.
| Age | Sex | Adults | Married | Partnered, not married | Single | Single share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–29 | Men | 27,200,000 | 1,630,000 | 5,450,000 | 20,200,000 | 74% |
| Women | 26,800,000 | 2,680,000 | 5,890,000 | 18,200,000 | 68% | |
| 30–44 | Men | 33,600,000 | 16,800,000 | 4,710,000 | 12,100,000 | 36% |
| Women | 34,200,000 | 19,200,000 | 4,790,000 | 10,300,000 | 30% | |
| 45–59 | Men | 30,000,000 | 18,600,000 | 2,700,000 | 8,700,000 | 29% |
| Women | 32,400,000 | 18,800,000 | 2,600,000 | 11,000,000 | 34% | |
| 60+ | Men | 36,400,000 | 24,000,000 | 1,820,000 | 10,500,000 | 29% |
| Women | 46,700,000 | 21,900,000 | 1,870,000 | 22,900,000 | 49% | |
| All adults, 18+ | Men | 127,000,000 | 61,100,000 | 14,700,000 | 51,500,000 | 40% |
| Women | 140,000,000 | 62,600,000 | 15,100,000 | 62,400,000 | 45% |
The single share is 71% in the 18–29 group and 32% in the 45–59 group. The 18–29 group holds the most single adults in absolute terms, about 38 million.
Single men and single women
There are 111 single men for every 100 single women among 18 to 29 year olds and 46 among those aged 60 and over.
| Age | Single men | Single women | Men per 100 women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18–29 | 20,200,000 | 18,200,000 | 111 |
| 30–44 | 12,100,000 | 10,300,000 | 118 |
| 45–59 | 8,700,000 | 11,000,000 | 79 |
| 60+ | 10,500,000 | 22,900,000 | 46 |
| All adults, 18+ | 51,500,000 | 62,400,000 | 83 |
Where the sexes swap places
Among 18 to 29 year olds 74% of men and 68% of women are single. In the group aged 60 and over it is 29% of men and 49% of women. The first age group in which women are more often single than men is 45–59.
In the oldest group 47% of women are married against 66% of men. Women’s longer lives and the widowhood that follows explain much of that difference in the older groups; this is a general demographic pattern and not something the model derives.
From the population to the available singles
The tables follow one standard search through the United States: everybody, the people of the sex being looked for, those aged 28 to 38, those attracted to the searcher’s gender, and finally those who are neither married nor partnered. In this standard search a woman looking for men has the larger pool (about 11 million available singles, against about 9.4 million for a man looking for women).
Of the about 25 million women aged 28 to 38 who are attracted to men, 62% are married or partnered; among men aged 28 to 38 who are attracted to women it is 54%.
The lines down to “aged 28–38” count all people of that sex and age before sexual orientation is taken into account. Orientation is applied in the next line, and only then are the married and the partnered removed.
| Step | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Population, all ages | 342,000,000 | – |
| Women | 177,000,000 | 52% |
| Women aged 28–38 | 25,500,000 | 14% |
| Attracted to men (orientation applied) | 24,500,000 | 96% |
| Of them married | 11,200,000 | 46% |
| Of them partnered, not married | 3,950,000 | 16% |
| Available singles | 9,360,000 | 38% |
| Step | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Population, all ages | 342,000,000 | – |
| Men | 165,000,000 | 48% |
| Men aged 28–38 | 25,300,000 | 15% |
| Attracted to women (orientation applied) | 24,000,000 | 95% |
| Of them married | 9,300,000 | 39% |
| Of them partnered, not married | 3,750,000 | 16% |
| Available singles | 10,900,000 | 46% |
Which population?
The country file counts the resident population of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Puerto Rico and the other territories are not part of it. National estimates also differ by source and reference date: the Census Bureau and the United Nations publish different figures for the same year. The model uses 342 million for the data year 2025.
Which definition of “single”?
In the calculator a person is single when they are neither married nor partnered, whether or not they want a relationship. Divorced and widowed people without a partner count, couples who live together do not.
US surveys use other categories. Marital status distinguishes now married, separated, divorced, widowed and never married. Household statistics add a household relationship such as “unmarried partner”. These are different questions, so a count of “never married” adults is larger than a count of single adults, and the gap is made of unmarried couples. Single, unmarried and living alone sets the concepts side by side.
What Census Bureau surveys count
The table names the main US sources and what each one measures. We do not repeat their figures because they are revised with every release; follow the links for current values.
| Source | What it measures | Why it is not the same as “single” here |
|---|---|---|
| Census Bureau: population estimates | Annual estimates of the resident population by age, sex and other characteristics, updated between decennial censuses. | It counts residents, not their relationships. |
| Census Bureau: American Community Survey (marital status) | A large annual household survey that asks about marital status: now married, separated, divorced, widowed, never married. | It records legal status. Unmarried couples are not identified by the marital status question and a never-married person in a relationship counts as never married. |
| Census Bureau: families and living arrangements | Survey based tables on households, families and living arrangements, including unmarried partners who share a home. | It sorts people by who lives together. Partners in separate homes do not show up, and it is a sample. |
| Census Bureau: decennial census | A full count of the population every ten years, used as the base for the yearly estimates. | It is a snapshot of one date and collects only a few characteristics. |
Limits of the model figures
The data file for the US has confidence “high”, which the calculator turns into a band of about ±12% on counts of this kind. The married and partnered shares are survey based estimates by age group, not register counts.
The civil-status tables count all adults. A real pool is smaller: it depends on the sex you look for, your age range, orientation and every other filter. When the dataset is refreshed, this page changes with it.
Turn it into your own search
Choose an age range and who you are looking for: the calculator removes the married and the partnered the way this page does, applies orientation and any filter you add, and shows the funnel step by step. For the effect of height and income see how much height and income shrink the pool. More on the method: how DateTruth counts.
Try it with your own numbers
Start with the standard profile for the US, then change the age range or add filters.
A man looking for women, 28–38 A woman looking for men, 28–38