=+21. Age at first marriage 2011. Weddings are one of the fastest growing businesses; about $40 billion is spent on weddings in the United States each year. But demographics may be changing, and this could affect wedding retailers’

marketing plans. Is there evidence that the age at which women get married has changed over the past 100 years?

The scatterplot shows the trend in age at first marriage for American women. (U.S. Census Bureau; www.census.gov)

1890 1920 1950 1980 2010 25.5 24.0 22.5 Women (age at first marriage)

21.0 Year

a) Do you think there is a clear pattern? Describe the trend.