According to data spanning 2000 to 2024, the share of ‘never married’ Black residents climbed from about 39% in 2000 to just over 50% today — a gain of more than 10.7 percentage points over a quarter century. That makes Pinellas the only one among eight Tampa Bay counties where Black adults who have never married are a majority of the population.

In addition, the increase in the ‘never married’ population was bigger in Pinellas than in other counties in the region. Its 10.7 percentage-point increase since 2000 outpaces the other Tampa Bay counties, ahead of Sarasota (+8.3 points), Hillsborough (+7.9), Manatee (+7.5), Hernando (+7.2), Citrus (+6.7), Polk (+6.3), and Pasco (+5.9).

Within Pinellas, white non-Hispanic residents also saw an increase in the never-married rate. However, two things stand out in comparing the two groups.

One, the uptick was smaller for white residents, from about 20% in 2000 to 26% in 2024 – a six percentage-point climb. And two, African Americans remain twice as likely to be ‘never married, compared to their white neighbors.

The racial gap — now approaching 24 percentage points — is wider today than it was in the year 2000.

The trends are not unique to Pinellas. Across Florida and the country, Black Americans are marrying at rates well below those of white Americans. Florida’s Black population overall shows about 48% never married, compared to roughly 25% for white Floridians.

Data released by the Pew Research Center shows that on a national level, nearly 50% of Black adults have never married.

For Tampa Bay area experts such as Shamika T. Askew, Esq., the owner and managing Attorney of the Law Office of Shamika T. Askew, the results are not surprising. “I don’t believe that some of us were properly taught about or observed healthy, loving, and lasting marriages,” says Askew. “Some of us grew up in dysfunctional and broken families, and the media does not portray healthy, whole, and healed families.”

Read more on powerbrokernews.com