Living alone in the United States: key statistics
In 2025, 39.7 million Americans lived alone, making up 29% of all U.S. households, up from 20% in 1975, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Among adults 65 and older living in the community, about 28% lived alone in 2023. Older women are far more likely to live alone than older men.
Key figures
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| One-person households, 2025 | 39.7 million | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Share of all households, 2025 | 29% (20% in 1975) | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Householders aged 65+, 2025 | More than 1 in 4 (1 in 5 in 1975) | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Adults 65+ living alone, 2023 | About 28% of those living in the community | ACL, 2023 Profile of Older Americans |
| Adults 65+ living alone, 2021 | About 15.2 million: 10.1 million women, 5.2 million men | ACL, 2021 Profile of Older Americans |
| Older women vs older men living alone, 2021 | 33% of women 65+, 21% of men 65+ | ACL, 2021 Profile of Older Americans |
| Women 75+ living alone, 2021 | 43% | ACL, 2021 Profile of Older Americans |
More people live alone than ever
One-person households have grown from one in five U.S. households in 1975 to almost three in ten today. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate of 39.7 million is the highest on record, although the Bureau notes that part of the latest increase may reflect changes in how the survey is run as well as real change in how people live.
The population is also getting older: more than a quarter of all householders are now 65 or over, compared with one in five in 1975.
Older adults living alone
About 28% of Americans aged 65 and older who live in the community, rather than in nursing homes or other institutions, lived alone in 2023, according to the Administration for Community Living. Most of the rest, 59%, lived with a spouse or partner.
That share is actually a little lower than a generation ago: the Pew Research Center found that a smaller proportion of older adults live alone today than in 1990, when 29% did (Pew Research Center, 2025). Because there are many more older Americans than in 1990, the number living alone is still much larger.
Women are much more likely to live alone
In 2021, about 10.1 million older women lived alone, compared with 5.2 million older men: one in three women aged 65 and over, and about one in five men. The gap widens with age. Among women aged 75 and older, 43% lived alone. Women live longer on average and are more likely to be widowed, so many spend their later years on their own.
What this means for families
Living alone isn’t the same as being lonely or unsafe. Many older people choose it and do well. But it does mean that if something goes wrong, such as a fall, a sudden illness or a dead phone, there may be nobody there to notice. That’s why routines such as a daily call or a check-in matter: they turn “no news” into a signal. Our guide on how to check on an elderly parent who lives alone covers the options.
Using these figures
You’re welcome to cite this page; please link to it and to the original sources above. Figures are the latest published at the time of writing; we update this page when new data comes out.