Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
30% of people 25 and older with at least a bachelor's degree are unpartnered, compared to 44% of people without a high school diploma.
For the first time in nearly 20 years, the share of U.S. adults who don't live with a spouse or partner is on the decline, according to a 2025 analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Research Center. In 2019, 44% of U.S. adults were unpartnered; in 2023 (the most recent data available), that number dropped to 42%.
Pew's report showed that some key factors, including gender, age, and education, appear to contribute to Americans' single status. Women are more likely than men to be unpartnered by 4 percentage points. Editor's note: The data was collected using a binary understanding of sex and gender, which excludes important information about gender-diverse professionals.
Adults under 25 are the most likely to live alone, while those between 40 and 54 are the least likely to live solo. And 30% of people 25 and older with at least a bachelor's degree are unpartnered, compared to 44% of people without a high school diploma.
But what about what you do for a living? Data suggests that may also play a part. Of more than 500 jobs tracked by the Census Bureau, Stacker identified the 50 with the highest share of single workers who had never married. This analysis uses data from the 2023 American Community Survey, sourced via the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs were ranked by the share of employees with each job who had never been married.
Nearly a third of the occupations in the top 20 are in the restaurant industry. Several factors may play into this: Most restaurant workers are young and early in their careers. Restaurant employees also tend to work evenings and weekends, which could make it more challenging to find a partner. Many physically demanding jobs requiring hours outside of the 9-to-5 standard and hospitality roles with similarly irregular schedules made the list.
Keep reading to discover the 50 jobs with the highest share of employees who've never been married.
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- Share who have never been married: 56.9%
- Median annual salary: $56,000 ($8,000 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 24,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 57.3%
- Median annual salary: $40,000 ($8,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 116,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 57.6%
- Median annual salary: $35,000 ($13,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 29,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 57.6%
- Median annual salary: $54,000 ($6,000 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 21,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 58.1%
- Median annual salary: $39,000 ($10,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 1.2 million people
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- Share who have never been married: 58.5%
- Median annual salary: $32,000 ($17,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 711,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 58.6%
- Median annual salary: $38,000 ($10,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 3 million people
- Share who have never been married: 58.9%
- Median annual salary: $44,000 ($5,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 13,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 59%
- Median annual salary: $99,000 ($50,000 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 111,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 59.1%
- Median annual salary: $29,000 ($19,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 673,000 people
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- Share who have never been married: 59.5%
- Median annual salary: $48,000 (same as national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 30,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 59.7%
- Median annual salary: $34,000 ($14,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 365,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 59.9%
- Median annual salary: $70,000 ($22,000 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 15,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 60.3%
- Median annual salary: $98,000 ($50,000 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 17,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 61.2%
- Median annual salary: $34,000 ($14,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 84,000 people
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- Share who have never been married: 61.9%
- Median annual salary: $36,000 ($12,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 2.9 million people
- Share who have never been married: 62.1%
- Median annual salary: $46,000 ($2,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 239,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 62.5%
- Median annual salary: $32,000 ($16,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 880,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 63.2%
- Median annual salary: $33,000 ($15,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 268,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 63.3%
- Median annual salary: $62,000 ($14,000 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 24,000 people
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- Share who have never been married: 63.7%
- Median annual salary: $61,000 ($13,000 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 25,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 64%
- Median annual salary: $36,000 ($12,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 44,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 64.6%
- Median annual salary: $44,000 ($4,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 122,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 64.7%
- Median annual salary: $31,000 ($17,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 264,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 65%
- Median annual salary: $56,000 ($8,000 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 31,000 people
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- Share who have never been married: 65.3%
- Median annual salary: $34,000 ($14,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 82,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 65.9%
- Median annual salary: $39,000 ($9,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 167,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 66.2%
- Median annual salary: $49,000 ($1,000 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 1,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 66.5%
- Median annual salary: $37,000 ($11,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 390,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 67.6%
- Median annual salary: $30,000 ($18,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 3.3 million people
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- Share who have never been married: 69.2%
- Median annual salary: $31,000 ($17,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 464,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 69.2%
- Median annual salary: $36,000 ($12,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 116,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 70%
- Median annual salary: $34,000 ($14,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 282,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 70.7%
- Median annual salary: $38,000 ($10,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 39,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 70.8%
- Median annual salary: $64,000 ($15,000 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 14,000 people
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- Share who have never been married: 71.5%
- Median annual salary: $32,000 ($16,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 2.2 million people
- Share who have never been married: 71.8%
- Median annual salary: $31,000 ($17,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 483,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 72.3%
- Median annual salary: $34,000 ($14,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 93,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 72.7%
- Median annual salary: $40,000 ($8,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 162,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 75.4%
- Median annual salary: $35,000 ($13,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 3,000 people
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- Share who have never been married: 77.5%
- Median annual salary: $34,000 ($14,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 86,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 78.2%
- Median annual salary: $37,000 ($11,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 52,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 81.6%
- Median annual salary: $44,000 ($4,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 24,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 83.6%
- Median annual salary: $38,000 ($10,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 89,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 84.5%
- Median annual salary: $33,000 ($15,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 118,000 people
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- Share who have never been married: 85.3%
- Median annual salary: $30,000 ($18,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 118,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 86%
- Median annual salary: $36,000 ($12,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 15,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 86.4%
- Median annual salary: $30,000 ($19,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 3.7 million people
- Share who have never been married: 86.7%
- Median annual salary: $29,000 ($19,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 425,000 people
- Share who have never been married: 90.1%
- Median annual salary: $30,000 ($18,000 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 124,000 people
Additional writing by Paxtyn Merten. Story editing by Jaimie Etkin. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.You may also like: 50 highest-paying jobs in America
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