from staff
A growing share of men in the metropolitan Jacksonville area over the past three years say they have never married, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
The Census Bureau found that a third of men age 15 and older report they have never married, compared with a fourth of women.
The percentage of never-married men rose from less than 31 percent in 2007 to 32.6 percent in 2008 and 33.5 percent last year.
Meanwhile, the percentage of divorced men remained just below 11 percent in 2008 and 2009, down slightly from 2007.
The percentage of divorced women rose from 14.2 percent in 2007 to almost 15 percent in 2009.
While the percentage of widowed men dropped to 2.2 percent in 2009, the percentage of widowed women grew to 10 percent.
The Daily Record is presenting a series of Jacksonville facts from the U.S. Census Bureau for 2007, 2008 and 2009 for Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties.
The national recession began in December 2007 and was declared over as of June 2009.
| Population | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Males age 15 and over | 498,382 | 506,518 | 511,215 |
| Never married | 30.7% | 32.6% | 33.5% |
| Now married (not separated) | 53.3% | 51.9% | 52% |
| Separated | 1.8% | 2.3% | 1.5% |
| Widowed | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.2% |
| Divorced | 11.5% | 10.6% | 10.9% |
| Females age 15 and over | 531,950 | 539,533 | 548,058 |
| Never married | 24.6% | 26.3% | 25.7% |
| Now married (not separated) | 49.4% | 48.3% | 46.6% |
| Separated | 2.9% | 2.8% | 2.9% |
| Widowed | 8.9% | 8.1% | 9.8% |
| Divorced | 14.2% | 14.4% | 14.9% |