First Comes College, Then Comes Marriage, Census Data Suggest

In a reversal of longstanding trends, young adults with college degrees were more likely to have married than their less-educated peers, according to an analysis of 2008 U.S. Census data by the Pew Research Center. Among college-educated 30-year-olds, 62 percent had been married compared with 60 percent of those without diplomas. The economic downturn, which has taken a greater toll on less-educated Americans, and a rise in cohabitation are among the factors responsible for the shift, the Associated Press reported. In addition, those with less education were slightly more likely to divorce, the Pew analysis found.