SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) – Utahns can’t wait to get hitched according to a new study published by a team associated with Shane Co.
Provo ranked No. 1 and Ogden ranked No. 2 nationally with the highest population of married Gen Zers aged 18-24, according to Shane Co., using data from the U.S. Census marriage data in the 100 largest cities. Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City, ranked within the top 10, ranking No. 8 nationally.
The study reportedly found that Provo is the city with the youngest population of married couples, with nearly 25% of its Gen Z population having said “I do.” By comparison, only just over 13% of Ogden’s Gen Z population is married while less than 10% of Salt Lake City’s has said their vows.
One theory the study presents as its reasoning is due to the values of the LDS Church.
“One of the reasons Provo has such a high population of married people in their early-to-mid 20s is due to the influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” reported the study. “Mormons are known for placing a strong emphasis on traditional family values, and roughly 89% of Provo’s population affiliates with the LDS Church.”
According to the study, Utah comes in first as the state that gets married at the youngest age. Utah’s average marriage age is 25.8, nearly a full year younger than the next closest state Arkansas, whose average marriage age is 26.7.
The young marriage age isn’t the only thing Utah is leading the nation in when it comes to young love and relationships.
In a recent study, from WalletHub, Utah has the most families with young kids and the lowest separation and divorce rate among married couples.
In fact, Utah is reportedly one of the best places in the nation to raise a family, with WalletHub saying Utah is the 15th best state due to its education, child care, and socio-economics.