Key facts about race and marriage, 50 years after Loving v. Virginia
Intermarriage has increased steadily since the 1967 Loving v. Virginia ruling. Here are more key findings about interracial and interethnic marriage and families.
Social Trends
-
-
Among U.S. cohabiters, 18% have a partner of a different race or ethnicity
A half-century after the Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage in the United States, 18% of all cohabiting adults have a partner of a different race or ethnicity – similar to the share of U.S. newlyweds who have a spouse of a different race or ethnicity (17%).
-
The rise of multiracial and multiethnic babies in the U.S.
One-in-seven U.S. infants were multiracial or multiethnic in 2015, nearly triple the share in 1980.
-
Through an American lens, Western Europe’s middle classes appear smaller
The American middle class is smaller than middle classes across Western Europe, but its income is higher.
-
Trump’s nominees have already faced a large number of cloture votes
The president has been slow to nominate people to fill key posts, and most of those he has named have had to overcome the cloture hurdle before being confirmed.
-
A third of Americans live in a household with three or more smartphones
The growing prevalence of cellphones comes as the typical American household now contains a wide range of connected devices.
-
In U.S. metro areas, huge variation in intermarriage rates
One-in-six newlyweds (17%) were married to someone of a different race or ethnicity in 2015, representing a more than fivefold increase from 3% in 1967.
-
Intermarriage in the U.S. 50 Years After Loving v. Virginia
In 2015, 17% of all U.S. newlyweds had a spouse of a different race or ethnicity, marking more than a fivefold increase since 1967, when the landmark Supreme Court case legalized interracial marriage.
-
Intermarriage across the U.S. by metro area
The share of newlyweds married to someone of a different race or ethnicity has been steadily climbing in the United States. In 1967, 3% of newlyweds were intermarried, and by 2015, that share had risen to 17%.
