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The 2026 State-by-State Marriage & Wedding Report

March 13, 2026

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Marriage patterns in the United States are continuously evolving, shaped by demographic shifts, regional differences, and changing economic conditions. While national figures provide a broad overview, state-level data reveal variation in how frequently Americans marry, at what age they enter their first marriage, how much they spend on weddings, and which wedding styles generate the most interest.

To examine these differences, Giggster analyzed the most recent 2024-2025 data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia across four key indicators: marriage rate, median age at first marriage, average wedding spending, and the most searched wedding styles in each state.

Rankings in this report are metric-specific. States are ranked separately within each category and do not represent an overall or combined score.  View the full methodology here.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

  • The District of Columbia leads the nation in both the highest average age at first marriage and the highest wedding spending, with the average age at first marriage being ~32 years, and the average wedding spending at about $45K, according to the most recent data available.

  • Utah ranks first in marriage incidence, while also recording the lowest average age at first marriage (~26 years), making it the youngest and most marriage-dense state in 2024.

  • Outdoor weddings ranked as the most-searched wedding type in 2025, peaking in June, with Alaska, Idaho, and Arkansas showing the highest search interest in this wedding style.

State-by-State Marriage Rates

Marriage rates per capita were highest in the Mountain West and South U.S. regions, and lower rates were more common in the Northeast and along the West Coast.

What the Data Shows:

  • Utah ranks first in the marriage rate among all states in 2024.

  • Vermont (No.51), Delaware (No. 50), Maine (No. 49), and Rhode Island (No. 48) are among the states with the lowest marriage rates nationwide in 2024.

  • Several high-population states, New York (No. 32), California (No. 35, tied), Pennsylvania (No. 35, tied), Massachusetts (No. 38), and Illinois (No. 42), record marriage rate levels below the national per-capita average rate of about 7.1.

Which State’s Residents Get Married the Earliest?

In all states, except Washington, D.C., men marry later than women, with average first-marriage ages for men generally in the late 20s to early 30s, while women marry two to three years earlier. 

What the Data Shows:

  • Average age at first marriage ranges from about 26 years in Utah to roughly 32 years in Washington, D.C.

  • Utah (No. 1), Arkansas (No. 2), Idaho (No. 3), South Dakota (No. 4), and Alaska (No. 5) report the lowest average ages at first marriage, ~26 to 27 years.

  • The states with the highest average ages at first marriage average ~31 to 32 years, led by Massachusetts (No. 50), Rhode Island (No. 49), Connecticut (No. 48), California (No. 47), and New York (No. 45).

Wedding style preferences in 2025 show clear differences by type and timing, with certain wedding formats attracting more search interest at different points in the year.  

To capture seasonality, we also looked at the #1 searched wedding style in each month of 2025.

Most Searched Wedding Types By Month

What the Data Shows:

  • Small weddings rank as the most searched wedding type, with peak interest mainly in winter and search activity driven most strongly by Rhode Island, Arkansas, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

  • Seasonal search trends in 2025 show hotel weddings leading in late winter and spring, barn weddings in late spring and summer, and garden weddings emerging as the top search in fall.

  • Outdoor wedding appears as a monthly leader of search interest in June and September, with peak interest driven by Alaska and Idaho.

Average Wedding Spending by State

Average wedding spending varies widely by state, with average budgets ranging from less than $17K to nearly $45K.

The data shows that higher wedding spending is concentrated along the East and West Coasts, while lower averages are more common across parts of the South and Midwest.

What the Data Shows:

  • Five states report average wedding costs of $37K or more, District of Columbia (No. 1), Massachusetts (No. 2), Hawaii (No. 3), California (No. 4), and New Jersey (No. 5). Higher the national average of ~ $27K.

  • The gap in spending between the highest- and lowest-spending states is about $28K, from ~ $45K in the District of Columbia (No. 1) to ~ $16.9K in West Virginia (No. 51).

  • States with the lowest average wedding spending fall between $17K and $20K, including Mississippi (No. 50), Arkansas (No. 49), Alabama (No. 48), and Oklahoma (No. 47).

Wedding Spending Distribution by Tier

  • Five states exceed $37K in average wedding spending, which is $10K higher than the national average of $27K.

  • In 34 states, the average wedding spending falls between $22K and $37K.

  • Twelve states report average wedding costs below $22K, which is $5K lower than the national average ($27K).

Giggster Wedding Insights 

State averages show how much weddings cost overall, but what does that look like in practice? Platform booking data from 2025 offers a closer view of hourly venue pricing, team size, and event duration for wedding-related bookings.

Giggster Insights

Methodology

This report evaluates state-level marriage patterns, wedding spending, and wedding style trends across all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The analysis drew on four primary data sources, including federal demographic data, indexed search trend data, industry-reported wedding expenditure estimates, and aggregated platform insights.

Marriage Rate

This category measures the frequency of marriages relative to state population size.

Marriage rates were calculated using the U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS) (2024 data, the most recent data available).

To estimate annual marriages per state:

  • The total number of individuals who reported marrying in 2024 was divided by 2 to estimate the number of couples in each state.
  • This figure was divided by each state’s total population.
  • The result was multiplied by 1,000 to obtain the estimated number of marriages per 1,000 residents.
  • States were then ranked from highest to lowest based on the resulting marriage rate values.

Because ACS data is survey-based, figures represent population-level estimates rather than official marriage license counts. 

In cases where multiple states share the same value, those states are assigned the same rank.

Age at First Marriage 

This category measures the average age at which individuals enter their first marriage.

Age data was sourced from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 data. 

  • Age at first marriage estimate: ACS Table B12007 (Median Age at First Marriage)

To rank states according to the age at marriage:

  • State-level averages were evaluated separately for men and women.
  • Where referenced, overall averages represent the midpoint between male and female first-marriage ages.
  • All figures reflect first marriages only.
  • For ranking purposes, “States were ordered from lowest to highest based on the overall midpoint age (youngest to oldest), calculated as the midpoint between male and female values.

As with all ACS data, results are survey-based estimates.

In cases where multiple states share the same value, those states are assigned the same rank.

Wedding Style Search Trends 

This category evaluates the relative popularity of selected wedding formats.

Search interest data was retrieved using Google Trends (2025).

Google Trends scores are indexed from 0 to 100, where:

  • 100 represents peak popularity within a selected geography and time frame.
  • Scores reflect relative search interest, not absolute search volume.

For clarity, this report does not display the full 0–100 index scale and instead reports only the highest-ranking results by month and state.

Average Wedding Spending 

This category measures average reported wedding expenditures by state.

Spending data is derived from the WithJoy Wedding Report, which provides the most recent state-level estimates for 2025 wedding expenditures.

Figures represent reported mean wedding expenditures and are presented in rounded form for consistency. Spending estimates may vary based on reporting methodology and local market conditions.

Giggster Wedding Insights

This category evaluates operational wedding-related production activity.

Metrics are based on aggregated 2025 data from Giggster.

The analysis includes:

  • Average hourly venue price
  • Average crew size
  • Average booking duration

All figures represent platform-wide averages.

Things to Keep in Mind

While this research reflects the most current information available for 2024–2025, marriage patterns and wedding-related trends are subject to change.

  • ACS data reflects survey-based estimates and may be subject to sampling variability.
  • Google Trends data reflects relative popularity, not total search demand.
  • Wedding spending figures represent reported averages and may vary by region and market conditions.
  • Giggster data reflects platform activity and does not represent total national wedding production volume.

Readers should consult official data sources for the most up-to-date information.