The impact of marital status at diagnosis on survival outcomes and its change over time in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) are unclear. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to identify patients diagnosed with NPC in the United States from 1973 to 2012. A primary comparison (married vs. unmarried) was implemented with 1:1 propensity score matching. Secondary comparisons were performed individually between three unmarried subgroups (single, separated/divorced, widowed) and married group. The effect of marital status on cause-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using univariate/multivariate analysis. Moreover, we investigated the change over time (1973-2012) in the effect of marital status on NPC survival. Married patients had better 5-year CSS/OS than unmarried patients (61.1% vs. 52.6%, P<0.001; 55.6% vs. 45.3%, P<0.001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, unmarried patients had significantly poorer CSS/OS than married patients (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]=1.35, P<0.001; aHR=1.40, P<0.001, respectively). The survival benefit of being married was only detected in non-Hispanic white and Chinese American patients. Single, separated/divorced, and widowed patients had significantly poorer CSS/OS than married patients (aHR=1.37 and 1.37; 1.46 and 1.42; 1.43 and 1.48, respectively; all P<0.001). The change over time in the effect of marital status on survival was more stable in male than female. The strength of the negative effect of separated/divorced and widowed status showed a downward and upward trend, respectively. Gender difference in the adverse effect of single status on NPC survival became smaller over time. Only non-Hispanic white and Chinese American patients with NPC obtain survival benefits from married status. Single and widowed patients are regarded as high-risk population