PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Wednesday is National Singles Awareness Day, and Census figures show that the number of single adults has been steadily increasing in this country.
According to the Bureau, the number of single adults in America – at 130 million – is almost on par with the number of married adults – at 135 million. Additionally, the average age of a first marriage has been steadily increasing in America through the decades, with the most recent average age of a first marriage being around 29.
Tracy Ransom, a Germantown resident, says she believes more people are choosing to be single for longer periods is because it allows some piece of mind.
“We're not lonely, we just choose to be that way because we have dealt with so many people and relationships,” she said.
The un-official holiday was started in 2001, after then-high school student Dustin Barnes started the tradition as a silly form of protest to Valentine’s Day. Once Barnes went on to attend Mississippi State University, the idea gained popularity – to the point where the day was copyrighted in 2005 and has been celebrated among single circles ever since.
Ransom says she — along with others — don’t feel pressure or the need to be married these days.
“It's like, we've been there, done that and you just don't have time for it, especially when you get older,” she said.
And singles can also look forward to Unmarried and Single Americans Week, starting Sept. 18.