But for African Americans there is a large gender gap. For Whites, 12 percent of men and 10 percent of women marry a spouse of a different race. Today, the figure is 17 percent.Īmong major ethnic groups, Asian women are the most likely to be involved in an interracial marriage. The data shows that in 1967 when the Loving case was decided, only 3 percent of all newlywed couples were interracial. A new report from the Pew Research Center examines interracial marriage in the United States today. Over the past 50 years, interracial marriages have become far more common in the United States. At that time, interracial marriage was illegal in 16 southern states. Virginia that states could not prohibit interracial marriage.