How Does Growing Up in Suffolk County Affect Your Chances of Getting Married?

By Feroze Dhanoa

Growing up in Suffolk does affect your odds of marrying, according to an article in the New York Times.

The article suggests that New York children are less likely to be married by age 26, age 30 and probably at any point in their lives.

If you grew up in Suffolk County, you are 9.7 percentage points less likely to be married by the age of 26.

Suffolk County was No. 7 on the list of the top counties that discourage marriage in the country. Bronx County, New York County (Manhattan) and Nassau County were ranked at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.

For the state overall, growing up in New York makes you 6.3 percentage points less likely to get married by the age of 26.

The data covers more than five million people who moved as children in the 1980s and 1990s and the economists believe that they have identified a causal role that geography plays in people’s lives.

The data analyzes a child’s odds of being married by the age of 26, however researchers found that the effect does not simply delay marriage. They found similar trends when these children turned 30.

Currently, the children are not old enough for data to be analyzed beyond this age.

Overall, the data suggests that growing up in a liberal part of the country makes you about 10 percentage points less likely to get married relative to the rest of the country. Growing up in a conservative part of America increases your likelihood of getting married.

Another factor the study identifies is the “Small-Town Effect”, which shows that less densely populated places seem to promote marriage even after taking political affiliation into account.

In general, the Northeast discourages marriage at all income levels.

To view the full study and get a more comprehensive look at the data, read the article at the New York Times.

Image Credit: Patch file photo

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