It can also intensify the incidence of parental conflict and stress. Transitioning to a single-parent household can disrupt a child’s routines, education, housing arrangement and family income.

More than 20% of children born to married couples will experience a divorce by age 9 and more than 50% of kids born to cohabiting couples will experience a parental breakup, according to some estimates. At the same time, marriages have grown more likely to end in divorce. For instance: More people are opting to marry later in life, skip marriage altogether and have kids outside of marriage. Common Challenges of Single-Parent FamiliesĪ number of factors have fueled the rise in single-parent families. Single parents are also more likely to live in poverty when compared to cohabiting couples, and single mothers are much more likely to be poor compared to single fathers. In 2021, nearly 30% of single parents lived in poverty while just 6% of married couples fit this same statistic. Increasingly, marriage reflects a class divide, as individuals with higher incomes and education levels are much more likely to marry. Statistics on Single-Parent Homes and Povertyįamily structure and socioeconomic status are linked, according to decades of research. The KIDS COUNT Data Center also breaks this statistic down by Congressional District, which indicates even greater variation locally - from a low of 13% to a high of 69% in New York’s District 15. cities with data in 2021: The share of children in single-parent families ranged from a low of 21% in Seattle to a high of 71% in Detroit. The likelihood that a child lives in a single-parent family varies by location.Īt the state level, this statistic varies - from a low of 18% of kids in Utah to a high of 45% of kids in Louisiana and Mississippi living in a single-parent household.Īmong the 50 most populous U.S. Single-Parent Family Differences by State, City and Congressional District Family nativity makes a difference: 37% of kids in U.S.-born families live in a single-parent household compared to just 24% of kids in immigrant families.Latino children and multiracial kids fall somewhere in the middle - with 42% and 38% of kids from these groups, respectively, living in a single-parent family.White and Asian and Pacific Islander kids are least likely to live in a single-parent household ( 24% of white children and 16% of Asian and Pacific Islander children fit this demographic).Black and American Indian or Alaska Native kids are most likely to live in a single-parent families ( 64% of Black children and 49% of American Indian or Alaska Native children fit this demographic).The likelihood of a child living in a single-parent family varies by race, ethnicity and family nativity. Statistics by Race, Ethnicity and Family Nativity *Īmong unmarried parents, the share of single mothers has shrunk in recent decades while the share of cohabiting parents has grown. 5 million kids live in father-only households, according to 2021 estimates. More than 6 million kids live with cohabitating parents and 3.

5 million - live in mother-only households. Within single-parent families, most children - 14.

A number of long-term demographic trends have fueled this increase, including: marrying later, declining marriage rates, increasing divorce rates and an uptick in babies born to single mothers. This total, which has been rising for half a century, covers about one in every three kids across America. In the United States today, nearly 24 million children live in a single-parent family. Statistics About Children in Single-Parent Families Children living with cohabiting couples are included in this group, but children living with a married parent and stepparent are not. This demographic group describes any child under age 18 who lives with an unmarried parent. Census Bureau data to define children in single-parent families. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT ® Data Center uses U.S. Defining Children in Single-Parent Families It identifies some common hurdles facing these families and shares opportunities for supporting both single parents and their children. This post highlights the latest statistics and demographic trends involving single-parent families.

Growing up with parents who fight