2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book Online >
Summary and Findings
Percent of Children in Single-Parent Families
Much of the public interest in family structure is linked to the fact that children growing up in single-parent families typically do not have the same economic or human resources available as those growing up in two-parent families. In 2006, 33 percent of single-parent families with related children had incomes below the poverty line, compared to 6 percent of married-couple families with children. Only about one-third of female-headed families reported receiving any child support or alimony payments in 2006. The U.S. Census Bureau defines singleparent families as those families headed by an unmarried adult.
- About 22 million children lived in single-parent families in 2006.
- Nationwide, there was a slight increase in the percent of children living in single-parent families, from 31 percent in 2000 to 32 percent in 2006.
- During this period, 7 states and the District of Columbia recorded a decrease in the percent of children living in single-parent families, 10 states reported no change in this measure, while the situation worsened in 33 states.
- In 2006, the Percent of Children in Single- Parent Families ranged from a low of 18 percent in Utah to a high of 45 percent in Mississippi.
- Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of African- American children lived in single-parent families, compared to a little more than one-third (37 percent) for Latinos and slightly less than one-fourth (23 percent) for non- Hispanic whites.
