How fast do couples in NJ get engaged?

Valentine’s Day is upon us. It is the number one day of the year for marriage proposals, so if you’re not ready yet it’s always a nail-biter if that’s expected of you. I’m not just talking about the guy. It’s a lot of pressure to be on the receiving end of a proposal you’re not ready for, too.

When there is a proposal that seems somewhat fast in the dating relationship, outsiders love to tell you you’re rushing things. When a proposal isn’t coming after years of dating, those same outsiders might make it their business to tell you your significant other isn’t serious about you.

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What’s the sweet spot? What’s the ideal time to date before a proposal? It turns out different parts of the country can’t even agree.

Now the national average is dating for two and a half years. Seems reasonable. Yet states vary greatly.

For example, Ohio waits longer than any other state. Their average courtship lasts 47.5 months, so basically four years of dating before anyone’s popping the question.

Where are they in the biggest hurry to put a ring on it? Indiana. Couples in the Hoosier state on average date only 14.8 months before getting engaged.

So how commitment cautious or recklessly romantic is the Garden State?

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Shane Co. did a survey, and wouldn’t you know they sell engagement rings, and interviewed 3,100 couples across the United States to gather this data. And according to their research New Jersey couples date for only 22.9 months before proposing. Less than two years surprises me for a cynical state like ours. Seems we’d be leerier.

That puts us solidly in the top 10 and at number eight in the nation for fastest engagements. The only states to pop the question faster than we do are Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, Utah, North Carolina, Washington and Indiana.

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I’ll leave you with a few other fun stats, but these are for the nation as a whole. The average age to get engaged is 23-27 years old. The average number of serious relationships people have before becoming engaged is 2. And the sobering one. About 20% of all engagements are broken off before the wedding day.