Hispanic Family Facts: Over Half of Low-Income Hispanic Women Have Married or Cohabited by Age 20

Feb 23, 2018

Hispanic Family Facts: Over Half of Low-Income Hispanic Women Have Married or Cohabited by Age 20

 

In February, Valentine’s Day gets us thinking about love and relationships. Did you know that among low-income adults in the United States, Hispanics are among the most likely to be married or in a cohabiting relationship? And this is especially true among immigrant Hispanics. Did you also know that Hispanic women, in particular, get married or start cohabiting when they are quite young?

Other interesting facts about the marriage and cohabitation  patterns of Hispanics include:

Women

  • 44% of low-income foreign-born Hispanic women have married by age 20, as have 39% of U.S.-born Hispanic women.
  • 55% of low-income foreign-born Hispanic women have entered a co-residential union—either marriage or cohabitation—by age 20, as have 58% of U.S.-born Hispanic women.

Men

  • 14% of low-income foreign-born Hispanic men have married by age 20, as have 18% of U.S.-born Hispanic men.
  • 30% of low-income foreign-born Hispanic men have entered a co-residential union by age 20, as have 31% of U.S.-born Hispanic men.
Stable family structures are just one of the key ingredients for child and family success that low-income Hispanic families have. Visit the Center’s website for more information on Family Structure and Family Formation among Low-Income Hispanics in the U.S.

Suggested Citation:

National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families. (2018). Over half of low-income Hispanic women have married or cohabited by age 20. (Hispanic Family Facts series). https://doi.org/10.59377/631t4251m

Copyright 2025 by the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families.

This website is supported by Grant Number 90PH0032 from the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services totaling $7.84 million with 99 percentage funded by ACF/HHS and 1 percentage funded by non-government sources. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation.