Study Says Wyoming Couples Marry Young And Stay Married Longer

Wyoming residents are waiting longer to tie the knot, but the Cowboy State still has one of the lowest average ages for married couples in the country. Luckily, most of those marriages will last.

The median age for a first marriage in Wyoming is now 26.8 years old, according to a new study. Only Utah (25.5 years), Idaho (25.9 years), Arkansas (26.4 years), and Oklahoma (26.6 years) have a lower average age. In 2005, the average age for marriage in Wyoming was 25.2 years.

Wyoming also has the fourth-highest percentage of married people, at 52.7% of the population. Utah has the highest percentage of married couples (55.6%), followed by Idaho (53.5%), Nebraska (53%), Wyoming, and Iowa (52.3%).

In Colorado, fewer couples are marrying young. The average age for a first marriage in the state is now 29.1 years, up from 25.9 years in 2005. Colorado is one of only 13 states where more than half the population is married (50.2%).

Massachusetts has the highest average age in the nation for a first marriage at 30.6 years, followed by New York (30.5 years), Connecticut (30.3 years), California (29.9 years), and Rhode Island  (29.9 years).

Louisianna has the lowest percentage of married people in the country at 42.8%. New Mexico (43.3%), Missississippi (43.7%), New York (44.4%), and Rhode Island (45.3%) round out the five states with the lowest rate of married couples.