People today living alone more than ever before

Researchers have found that there are more people than ever before who are living alone.

According to a new family profile from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research (NCFMR) at Bowling Green State University, the percentage of households with just one person has more than doubled since 1960 from 13 percent to 27 percent.

One-person households are currently the second most common type after married couple households, with the majority living in large metropolitan areas.

Many factors contribute to this trend, including people waiting longer to get married and have children, longer life expectancies, better financial security in older adults and the increase in divorce rates among middle-aged to older adults.

Dr. Wendy Manning, co-director of the NCFMR said that as the baby boomers age, they expect to see a continual rise in living solo as older Americans experience widowhood and divorce

Researchers found the majority of adults living alone are women, who are over age 55 and have been previously married.

The data was used from the 2011 US Census Bureau, American Community Survey.