Louisianans aren't putting a ring on it

The big picture: 29% of Louisianans in 2022 had been married at least once, according to data from the American Community Survey.

• The national average is 31%.
• Louisiana is the fifth least married state, the data shows. D.C. had the fewest married residents (20.39%), followed by Puerto Rico, Rhode Island and New York.
• Wyoming had the biggest share of residents who had put a ring on it: 34.6%.

Caveat: The numbers show people who have been married, but it doesn't mean they stayed married.

Zoom out: More Americans are forgoing or delaying marriage.

• The marriage rate over the last 50 years dropped by nearly 60%, and divorce is now more widely accepted in the U.S.
• Separately, more Americans are living alone, as the country faces an isolation and loneliness crisis.

The other side: Marital status is a stronger predictor of American adult wellbeing than education, race, age and gender, according to the Institute for Family Studies and Gallup.

• Last year, married adults between 25 and 50 years old were more likely to be thriving than adults who never married.
• Household income adjustment has the biggest sway on wellbeing for individuals, and typically rises after marriage when a couple pools their resources.

Go deeper:

• Married people are happier than single adults: survey.
• America the single.
• Divorce in America gets a glow up.