Did the pandemic kill romance in California – or did it just migrate inland?

Married households would be on the decline in California if it weren’t for five inland counties.

With the essence of Valentine’s Day in the air, my trusty spreadsheet pondered some Census population stats surrounding marriage. It looked at the latest 2022 data on households and changes from pre-pandemic 2019. These stats could be seen as a rough yardstick of California love – understanding that the linkage between marital status and romance is by no means a certainty.

With that caveat noted, if you want to find California’s burgeoning romance, look away from the coast. Just about the only places with noteworthy growth in married households are Riverside, San Bernardino, Sacramento, Fresno and Kern counties.

These five counties had 1.3 million married households in 2022 – an increase of 53,000 or 4.2% vs. 2019. Married household growth also topped an addition of 48,000 non-married households – 3.8% growth – from 2019.

Meanwhile, marriage seems to be on the outs in seven large urban counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, San Francisco and Alameda.

Collectively, these counties had 3.6 million married households in 2022 after losing 27,000 (or 0.7%) vs. 2019. Their non-married households grew by 230,000 – or 6% – from 2019.

An inland rush of married households fits certain charms surrounding a suburban lifestyle for the family-minded. But it’s more likely pragmatic thinking about cold, hard cash.

Inland counties offer far less expensive places to live vs. nearby city-like communities. And “affordability” is especially alluring to young, growing families.

Take home prices, for example. Inland prices averaged $480,000 in the five counties in 2022 vs. $820,000 statewide.

Small-town living

Let’s look at the rest of California outside our 12 giant counties. (The state has 58 counties, in case you’re wondering.)

We’re talking about primarily cheaper, less-congested lifestyle alternatives – and yet, they were not havens for marriage growth.

Their 1.6 million married households were essentially unchanged compared with 2019. At the same time, non-married households grew by 88,000 or 6%.

Certainly, it’s dreamy to think about quitting the big city’s rat race for small-town living with a special someone. The reality, however, is that married households often want to be near job hubs.

Plus, many couples require solid support facilities for their children. Population centers typically provide those amenities.

California catch

Statewide, there were 6.5 million married households in 2022 – up 26,000, or 0.4%, vs. 2019. Now any growth at all might surprise you considering the state’s population challenges and the fact that marriage is being delayed or avoided by many young adults.

However, let’s note the catch to this expansion: It’s tiny.

It’s largely thanks to five counties. And the state’s 7 million non-married households grew by 367,000 or 5.5% in the same three years.

Yes, while California’s population is slowly shrinking, its number of households is up. That’s a pandemic legacy, as during the peak coronavirus fears, people wanted extra living space – often moving out of family homes or roommate situations.

Most romantic?

Might I be overstating a ranking of 12 big California counties by married households as a scorecard of the state’s “most romantic” places?

However it’s hard to ignore Riverside County’s statistical resume for marriage friendliness.

Its 419,957 married households rank No. 4 in the state. It had the largest increase in this demographic since 2019 – 24,744 or 6%. And its 55% married share of all households is No. 1 among the 12 most-populous counties and well above the statewide 49% married slice.

Here’s how the other 11 big counties fared with married households, ranked by the largest three-year growth rates …

San Bernardino: 350,698 married households, up 14,128 from 2019 or 4% – with 52% of all households being married.

Fresno: 150,906 married, up 4,223  or 3% – 46% share.

Sacramento: 258,545 married, up 7,195 or 3% – 45% share.

Kern: 139,015 married, up 3,010 or 2% – 49% share.

Contra Costa: 224,571 married, up 4,679 or 2% – 54% share.

San Diego: 580,923 married, up 6,284 or 1% – 50% share.

Santa Clara: 356,776 married, up 2,419 or 1% – 54% share.

San Francisco: 127,903 married, up 211 – 35% share.

Alameda: 292,352 married, off 3,171 or 1% – 49% share.

Orange: 563,054 married, off 7,524 or 1% – 52% share.

Los Angeles: 1.46 million married, off 29,758 or 2% – 43% share.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com

Source: Orange County Register