STATISTICS: Money & Marriage

Straight-faced from the U.S. Census Bureau last week came some provocative statistics on the relationship between money and marriage. Among nonfarm men aged 35 to 64, reported the bureau, 96.4% of those earning $6,000 or more a year are married. Among those earning less than $2,000 a year, only 71% are married. Two percent of the $6,000-plus group are single, said the report, and 1.6% are widowed or divorced. In the $2,000-minus class, 18.4% are single, 10.6% are widowed or divorced.

The Census Bureau's cautious conclusion: men with better-than-average income "have the best chances of being selected as marriage partners"&$151;and, presumably, of maintaining the partnership.