Economic Opportunity and Marriage Formation in the United States, 1850 – 1920

Catherine A. Fitch, University of Minnesota

The age at first marriage in the United States is well documented for the twentieth century, and researchers have paid considerable attention to patterns, particularly the marriage boom of the post-World War II era and dramatic turn in recent decades. Demographers know considerably less about marriage patterns in the nineteenth century. This paper will draw on theories of marriage formation from historical demography, economics and sociology to analyze some of the trends in marriage patterns between 1850 and 1920. This was a period of substantial economic change in the United States; industrialization and the diminishing farm opportunities altered the economic future of young adults. In order to test theories about the role of economic opportunity in marriage formation, this multi-level analysis will use census microdata to measure the effects of various individual and local characteristics on the timing of first marriage for young men and women.