The Types of Marriages Emerging Across America That Most People Have Never Heard Of
Marriage in the U.S. is still largely defined by one legal framework, but family law and relationship research show that several lesser-known marriage models are drawing wider attention. The clearest examples range from legally recognized covenant marriage in Louisiana, Arizona, and Arkansas to social arrangements like commuter, LAT, and open marriages that researchers and counselors say are becoming more visible.
Covenant, commuter, and LAT marriages are among the least familiar models
Covenant marriage is one of the most concrete examples because it is written into state law in 3 states: Louisiana, Arizona, and Arkansas. Louisiana created covenant marriage in 1997, Arizona followed in 1998, and Arkansas adopted it in 2001, according to state statutes. Couples who choose it agree to premarital counseling and face more limited grounds for divorce than in standard civil marriage.
Other types are social rather than legal categories, but they are still used by researchers and therapists in 2025. Commuter marriages describe couples who remain married while living in different cities for work, while LAT, short for Living Apart Together, refers to committed couples who keep separate homes. The Pew Research Center and U.S. Census Bureau track household and relationship trends broadly, but neither agency keeps a single national count for commuter or LAT marriages.
Open marriages are also part of this discussion, though they are not a separate legal status in any U.S. state. The American Psychological Association has published research on consensual non-monogamy, a category that can include open marriages, and researchers generally distinguish it from infidelity because both spouses agree to the arrangement. Exact national totals remain unclear because many studies rely on self-reporting.
Where these marriages show up, and what is and is not officially tracked
The legal map is narrow for covenant marriage and much less defined for the other models. As of June 2025, only Louisiana, Arizona, and Arkansas authorize covenant marriage licenses, and no other state has added the option. State agencies in those 3 states have not issued a combined national total showing how many active covenant marriages exist today.
For commuter and LAT marriages, the geography is more economic than legal. These arrangements are often discussed in large job markets such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Washington, D.C., where long commutes, housing costs, and work transfers can split households across metro areas. That said, no federal database publishes a 50-state breakdown for married couples living apart by choice versus by necessity.
Open marriages are even harder to map with precision because there is no marriage license category for them in any county clerk system. Researchers can identify patterns through surveys, but the U.S. government does not publish a state-by-state registry of consensually non-monogamous married couples. What is confirmed is that the term appears more often in mainstream counseling, academic, and media discussions than it did a decade ago.
Why more Americans are hearing about them now
Part of the shift is legal visibility, and part of it is economics. Covenant marriage has stayed on the books for nearly 30 years in Louisiana, which means younger adults are now hearing about a law that has existed since 1997 but was never available nationwide. Family law scholars have long described it as a niche option rather than a dominant national trend.
For commuter and LAT marriages, the clearest drivers are work and housing. The U.S. Census Bureau has repeatedly documented interstate migration, remote work changes, and housing-cost pressure since 2020, all of which can push married couples to maintain 2 residences. Therapists and sociologists have also said that some couples choose these setups to balance caregiving, career advancement, or blended-family logistics.
Open marriage is getting more notice for a different reason: language around relationships is more public than it was in the 2010s. Research cited by the American Psychological Association and major universities has helped move terms like consensual non-monogamy into broader public discussion, even though the practice remains outside standard legal categories. For most Americans in 2025, these labels do not change what marriage means under state law, but they do show how varied married life can look from one household to another.
