Unmarried And Same-Sex Couples More Likely To Be Interracial
Captured_by_Becca / Flickr
The numbers show that D.C. is above national rates when it comes to interracial marriage and dating. Another stand-out point: interracial coupling is more prevalent among same-sex partners than opposite-sex partners in D.C. Check out the numbers below:
Percentage of interracial couples living together:
| Husband-Wife | Unmarried, Opposite-sex partners | Same-sex partners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D.C. | 10.6% | 13.8% | 19.1% |
| United States | 6.9% | 14.2% | 14.5% |
*Source: U.S. Census Bureau
At first glance, it may appear that people are more likely to date and live with someone of another race than marry interracially. But we should also point out that interracial marriage is on the rise, around the country and in D.C., where 20 percent of people who got married between 2008 and 2010 married someone of another race. Compare that to the percentage of all married couples in D.C., 10.2 percent. So the unmarried, interracial couples living together in D.C. may just be newer pairs. More interracial cohabitating appears to be leading to more interracial marriage.
Aside from interracial marriage, the census data also showed that D.C. and Alexandria, Va. lead the nation’s large cities in the percentage of people living alone. In both cities, 44 percent of households consist of just one person. These individuals in D.C. are typically young and rich, and are the ones largely responsible for the District’s growing population.
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