What is the approximate share of first marriages lasting twenty years or more in the United States?

What is the approximate share of first marriages lasting twenty years or more in the United States?

• A. Only about half.
• B. About a Quarter.
• C. About Three-Quarters.
• D. Nearly All

Answer: (A)

This question is about how long first marriages tend to last in the United States and what share reach twenty years or more. The best rough estimate is that about half of first marriages endure for twenty years or more. Divorce reduces the number that last that long, so you don’t see a majority lasting two decades, but a substantial minority does, making “about half” the closest approximation. Why this fits: the pattern of long-term marriage shows that many unions dissolve before twenty years, yet a meaningful portion persists for twenty years or longer. That balance is why the other options don’t fit as well—the idea that only a quarter lasts twenty years would understate long-term stability, while three-quarters or nearly all would overstate it given the prevalence of divorce.

This question is about how long first marriages tend to last in the United States and what share reach twenty years or more. The best rough estimate is that about half of first marriages endure for twenty years or more. Divorce reduces the number that last that long, so you don’t see a majority lasting two decades, but a substantial minority does, making “about half” the closest approximation.

Why this fits: the pattern of long-term marriage shows that many unions dissolve before twenty years, yet a meaningful portion persists for twenty years or longer. That balance is why the other options don’t fit as well—the idea that only a quarter lasts twenty years would understate long-term stability, while three-quarters or nearly all would overstate it given the prevalence of divorce.