55 Percent of Millennials Had Children Prior to Marriage

A study by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) found that just over half (55 percent) of 28- to 34-year-old parents had their first child before marriage. The study also found that timing matters and that those who got married first are "much more likely to flourish financially," even if these millennial parents came from lower-income households themselves.

Among those who got married first, 95 percent were not in poverty according to the Institute's definition. But a smaller number of those who had a child first — 72 percent — were not in poverty. (Poverty was measured by taking the ratio of gross family income and the federal poverty level, also adjusting for family size.)

The results are especially dramatic for millennials who come from low-income families. Among those who start out poor but get married before having kids, 71 percent make it to at least middle-income status by age 28 to 34. However, among those who have kids before getting married, just 41 percent reach middle-income status by that age.

Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia. Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.

Scott Rasmussen is a Senior Fellow for the Study of Self-Governance at the King’s College in New York and an Editor-At-Large for Ballotpedia, the Encyclopedia of American Politics. His most recent book, "Politics Has Failed: America Will Not," was published by the Sutherland Institute in May.To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.