What’s the ideal age to reach a life milestone? Many Americans say it depends
What do you consider a life milestone?
Maybe it’s buying a home, starting a family or finally finishing that manuscript you’ve been working on.
A new survey from the Pew Research Center released Wednesday sought to find out what Americans think are the ideal times for some of those traditional milestones to take place. Spoiler alert: it depends!
Three things to know:
- In April of last year, Pew asked 3,600 U.S. adults what they would consider to be the ideal ages for getting married, having a first child, buying a home and retiring.
- On average, the people surveyed say that the best age to get married is 26.5; the best age to become a parent is 27.3; the best age to purchase a home is 28.8; and the best age to retire is 61.8.
- But! A significant portion of each group also said that there was actually no ideal age for any of these milestones. Half of respondents said there’s no best age to get married or purchase a home; four in 10 said there was no best age to have children; and a third said there was no ideal retirement age.
From the White House to your home — get political news and analysis that matters sent straight to your inbox, with the NPR Politics newsletter.
A shift from previous generations
These averages are reflective of a larger cultural trend among younger Americans — they’re hitting these milestones later in life than previous generations, according to a Pew analysis from 2023.
The study, which looked at Census Bureau data, showed that adults under 21 were hitting major life milestones later than adults from 40 years prior.
That tracks with the most recent census data, which says the median age for first-time marriage in 2024 was 30.2 years for men and 28.6 years for women. In 1974, those respective ages were 23.1 and 21.1.
Dive deeper with NPR:
- Homeownership is more complicated than ever. Read about how young homebuyers are being forced to compete with investors.
- From A to Zika, get the latest global health and development news, sent weekly to your inbox, with the Goats and Soda newsletter.
Light from satellites will ruin majority of some space telescope images, study says
Astronomers have long been concerned about reflections from satellites showing up in images taken by telescopes and other scientific instruments.
Defense Department is reviewing boat strike video for possible release, Hegseth says
In a speech on Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the strikes, saying: "President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nation's interests."
Bama, Miami in, Notre Dame out and Indiana No. 1 in College Football Playoff rankings
Nobody paying attention for the past 24 months would be surprised to see Indiana – yes, Indiana – leading the way into this year's College Football Playoff.
McLaren’s Lando Norris wins first F1 title at season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Red Bull driver and defending champion Max Verstappen won the race with Norris placing third, which allowed Norris to finish two points ahead of Verstappen in the season-long standings.
A ban on feeding pigeons ruffles lots of feathers in Mumbai
The pigeon population has exploded — a result of people feeding the birds. For some it's a holy duty and a way to connect to nature. Critics point to health risks tied to exposure to pigeon droppings.
UN humanitarian chief: world needs to ‘wake up’ and help stop violence in Sudan
The UN's top humanitarian and emergency relief official has told NPR that the lack of attention from world leaders to the war in Sudan is the "billion dollar question".
