A new study found most people think 27 is the “perfect” age to get married — at least according to Americans who think there is such a thing.
A Pew Research Center survey of 3,600 U.S. adults found that among people who believe there’s an ideal age for marriage, the average answer was 26.5, or roughly 27. About 23% said the best age to get married is between 25 and 29. Still, about half of those surveyed said there is no best age at all.
Pew found a similar answer when it came to having children. Respondents said the ideal age for having a first child is 27.3, almost identical to the federal data showing the average age an American woman gives birth for the first time is 27.4.
The findings come as Americans continue reaching those milestones later in life. A previous Pew report found that just 22% of 25-year-olds were married in 2024, a major drop down from 63% in 1980. That same report found a record 25% of 40-year-olds had never been married as of 2023.
Parenthood has shifted too. In 2021, just 17% of 25-year-olds had a child, compared with 39% in 1980. A separate 2024 Pew survey also found that nearly half of adults under 50 who don’t already have children say it’s unlikely they ever will.
Opinions on the ideal age varied depending on age, income, politics and religion. Democrats, younger adults and higher-income respondents generally picked older ages for marriage and children (27 and 28, respectively), while Americans who say faith is very important to them tended to favor younger ages: 25 for marriage and 26 for having children.
