Seattle is a hip city, known for the nation’s highest minimum wage, recycling, and the number of young educated elites moving in. Odd that recent census data shows Seattle with the highest percentage of children in married-couple households in the fifty largest cities in the U.S. (Seattle Times, December 28, 2014)

Seattle edged out more conservative urban areas like Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs. Seattle is one of only three cities that has increased the percentage of married households since 2000. (Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia, cities with a large percentage of urban professionals, also showed increases.)

One reason, observers say, is that couples in Seattle tend to be highly educated with well-paying jobs. This would suggest that if we want to encourage family stability, we should provide quality education for all our children and jobs with adequate wages for their parents.