Some of the first questions asked in the decennial census are about how many people live in a household and their relationship to the head of the household. If there is no answer beyond “Person 1,” it is presumed that the person lives alone. According to the 2020 census, 37 million adults lived alone, up from 33 million in 2010. In 1960, the number was well under half of that.
To find the state with the most single-person residences, 24/7 Wall St. used Census Bureau data, ranking states by the share of nonfamily households living alone out of all households.
One important driver in the increase of one-person residences is marriage, as married people are more likely to live with somebody than unmarried people. In 2021, 34% of adults aged 15 and over had never been married, up from 23% in 1950, according to the Census Bureau. Meanwhile, the median age of first-time marriage has risen, as has the rate of divorce.
The number one state on our list is North Dakota, where almost 19% of adults live alone, comprising nearly 34% of households. One factor may be the state’s energy boom, which attracted young, single people from around the country. North Dakota also has relatively low rents, so the combination of economic opportunity and cheap housing may account for its top position among states.
At the other end of our list is Utah, where little more than 8% of adults live alone, comprising 19% of households. That may have something to do with the state’s religious profile. Most residents are Mormon and are more likely to marry and to have more children. In California and Hawaii, the reason for their relatively few single-person residences could be economics. Both have some of the most expensive housing and rents.
To find the state with the most single-person residences, 24/7 Wall St. used Census Bureau data, ranking states by the share of nonfamily households living alone out of all households. We also added the share of people living alone as a percentage of the civilian, noninstitutionalized 16+ population. All data, including median annual household income, monthly gross rent and bachelor’s degree attainment rate, came from the 2019 American Community Survey and are estimates for that year. Both rent and income were expressed in 2019 inflation-adjusted dollars.
Click here to see all the states where the most people live alone.
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