The average American family in 2023 consisted of 3.15 persons. Families in the United States According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family is a group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together; all such people (including related subfamily members) are considered as members of one family. As of 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau counted about 84.33 million families in the United States. The average family consisted of 3.15 persons in 2021, down from 3.7 in the 1960s. This is reflected in the decrease of children in family households overall. In 1970, about 56 percent of all family households had children under the age of 18 living in the household. This percentage declined to about 40 percent in 2020. The average size of a family household varies greatly from state to state. The largest average families can be found in Utah, California, and Hawaii, while the smallest families can be found in Wisconsin, Vermont and Maine.

In 2021, the average size of families in Utah was 3.51 people, the largest out of any state. California, Hawaii, Texas, and Alaska rounded out the top five states with the largest average family size in that year. Nationwide, the average family size was 3.15 people.

The average American household consisted of 2.51 people in 2023.

Households in the U.S.

As shown in the statistic, the number of people per household has decreased over the past decades.

The U.S. Census Bureau defines a household as follows: “a household includes all the persons who occupy a housing unit as their usual place of residence. A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied (or if vacant, is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other persons in the building and which have direct access from outside the building or through a common hall. The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated persons who share living arrangements. (People not living in households are classified as living in group quarters.).”

The population of the United States has been growing steadily for decades. Since 1960, the number of households more than doubled from 53 million to over 131 million households in 2023.

Most of these households, about 34 percent, are two-person households. The distribution of U.S. households has changed over the years though. The percentage of single-person households has been on the rise since 1970 and made up the second largest proportion of households in the U.S. in 2022, at 28.88 percent.

In concordance with the rise of single-person households, the percentage of family households with own children living in the household has declined since 1970 from 56 percent to 40.26 percent in 2022.

Continuous Population Statistics: Average household size of persons residing in family dwellings by date. Quarterly. Provinces.

In 2023, the average number of people per family in Finland was 2.7 persons. The average size of a family remained declined from roughly 2.8 to 2.7 between 2013 and 2023.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table S1101; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; https://data.census.gov/cedsci/; (2 April 2025).

Average Family Size: Metro Municipality data was reported at 3.800 Person in 2018. Average Family Size: Metro Municipality data is updated yearly, averaging 3.800 Person from Dec 2018 (Median) to 2018, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.800 Person in 2018 and a record low of 3.800 Person in 2018. Average Family Size: Metro Municipality data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Indonesia. The data is categorized under Indonesia Premium Database’s Domestic Trade and Household Survey – Table ID.HB002: Cost of Living Survey (SBH-2018): Average Family Size: by Cities.

002 -- Families by family type, average size and number of persons by area in 2006 to 2017

Graph and download economic data for New Privately Owned Housing Completions in the United States, Median Square Feet of Floor Area for One-Family Units (COMPSFLAM1FQ) from Q1 1987 to Q1 2025 about floor area, privately owned, 1-unit structures, family, new, median, housing, and USA.

In 2021, the average size of households in Utah was 2.99 people, the largest of any state. Hawaii, California, Idaho, and Texas rounded out the top five states for largest household size in that year. Nationwide, the average household size was 2.54 people.

The count and description of the families of the Basque Country is done using various statistical sources. On the one hand, families are counted through the Population and Housing Census; on the other hand, the operation Demographic Survey (ED), of an intercensal and five-year periodicity, offers information on the formation of families, family size, preferences on the number and spacing of children, as well as numerous other characteristics, using the method of retrospective approximation to demographic phenomena. The count and description of the families of the Basque Country is done using various statistical sources. On the one hand, families are counted through the Population and Housing Census; on the other hand, the operation Demographic Survey (ED), of an intercensal and five-year periodicity, offers information on the formation of families, family size, preferences on the number and spacing of children, as well as numerous other characteristics, using the method of retrospective approximation to demographic phenomena.

Average Family Size: DKI Jakarta data was reported at 3.800 Person in 2018. Average Family Size: DKI Jakarta data is updated yearly, averaging 3.800 Person from Dec 2018 (Median) to 2018, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.800 Person in 2018 and a record low of 3.800 Person in 2018. Average Family Size: DKI Jakarta data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Indonesia. The data is categorized under Indonesia Premium Database’s Domestic Trade and Household Survey – Table ID.HB002: Cost of Living Survey (SBH-2018): Average Family Size: by Cities.

Continuous Population Statistics: Average household size of persons residing in family dwellings by date. Quarterly. Autonomous Communities and Cities.

Ecuador Average Household Size data was reported at 3.881 Person in 2012. Ecuador Average Household Size data is updated yearly, averaging 3.881 Person from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2012, with 1 observations. Ecuador Average Household Size data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics and Census. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ecuador – Table EC.H004: Average Household Size.

The recount and description of the families of the Basque Country is carried out using diverse statistical sources. On the one hand, recounts of families are carried out via the Population and Housing Census; on the other, the five-yearly Demographic Survey (ED), of an inter-census nature, offers information on the make-up of families, the family size and preferences on the number and spacing of children and numerous other characteristics using the method of retrospective approximation to demographic phenomena.

Graph and download economic data for New Privately Owned Housing Starts in the United States, Average Square Feet of Floor Area for One-Family Units (HOUSTSFLAA1FQ) from Q1 1999 to Q1 2025 about floor area, housing starts, privately owned, 1-unit structures, family, new, housing, and USA.

Table of INEBase Average household size of persons residing in family dwellings by date. Quarterly. National. Continuous Population Statistics

Average Family Size: Tangerang Municipality data was reported at 4.200 Person in 2018. Average Family Size: Tangerang Municipality data is updated yearly, averaging 4.200 Person from Dec 2018 (Median) to 2018, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.200 Person in 2018 and a record low of 4.200 Person in 2018. Average Family Size: Tangerang Municipality data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Indonesia. The data is categorized under Indonesia Premium Database’s Domestic Trade and Household Survey – Table ID.HB002: Cost of Living Survey (SBH-2018): Average Family Size: by Cities.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table S1101; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; https://data.census.gov/cedsci/; (3 April 2025).

Census and economic families by size of family and average family size from the Socioeconomic overview of the farm population.