Research: Among America's Major Cities, Philly Has Highest Population Of Adults That Never Married
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- If you're an adult living in Philadelphia, chances are you're single and ready to mingle.
Philly resident Miah Shahene said, "The nightlife here is amazing."
"There's bars everywhere, restaurants everywhere," added Steve Voudouris of Philly.
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"It's a happenin' city," replied Siobhan Raupach of Chestnut Hill.
New Pew research may point to why among the ten biggest cities in the country, the City of Brotherly Love has the largest proportion of adults who have never been married.
"A lot of this is driven by the class divide," explained Judith Levine, an associate professor of sociology at Temple University. She says the findings reflect the city's high poverty rates, which are associated with non-marriage.
The second reason?
"I think the city is just drawing a younger group of people, which is awesome." Said Voudouris.
He's right, according to Levine, who told Eyewitness News that "because they've become a bigger part of the population of the city, they have brought down the marriage rate."
Right now, 52 percent of adults in Philly have never tied the knot, a nearly 10 percent increase in the past ten years. That is almost 20 percent higher than the national average.
"Marriage rates have gone down overall," said Levine, from less societal pressure and a shift in social norms to a focus on the individual. But, once you're ready to settle down, the odds are good others will be, too.
"I'm single, so I think it's great news," said Voudouris.
