New census numbers show that today's Nova Scotian families are complex and diverse. Statistics Canada revealed new data Wednesday that offers a peek into the lives of families across the country.

Compared to most provinces, the percentage of Nova Scotians who get married is lower. Out of 270,000 families in the province, two-thirds are married. Fourteen per cent are considered to be common-law, while 17 per cent are single-parent families, including Moira Hennigar.

Hennigar, 22, is raising her six-month-old son Jayden on her own.

"We just figured that there's no sense in forcing each other to love each other when we're already good friends," she said of Jayden's father. "We're pretty good with each other and we get along."

When it comes to common-law families, Nova Scotia is bucking the trend. At 14 per cent, the province is 2.7 per cent lower than the national average.

Kira Kelly, 29, said she doesn't feel pressure to marry her partner.

"We may get married eventually," she said. "We feel like we are married, we live together in a home. We're a family."

When it comes to marriage, 68 per cent of Nova Scotians have tied the knot. That's lower than in Ontario and provinces to the west.

Iliana Garcia-Ortega said marriage was imporant to her, in part, to provide more structure for her daughter.

For a breakdown of what the numbers show by county, use our feature on Nova Scotia family life.