In 2022, about 60 percent of Hispanic origin children lived with two married parents in the United States. On the other hand, about 4.3 percent of Hispanic origin children in the country lived with their father only.

In 2023, there were about 15.09 million children living with a single mother in the United States, and about 3.05 million children living with a single father. The number of children living with a single mother is down from its peak in 2012, and the number of children living with a single father is down from its peak in 2005.

Marriage and divorce in the United States

Despite popular opinion in the United States that “half of all marriages end in divorce,” the divorce rate in the U.S. has fallen significantly since 1992. The marriage rate, which has also been decreasing since the 1990s, was still higher than the divorce rate in 2021. Half of all marriages may not end in divorce, but it does seem that fewer people are choosing to get married in the first place.

New family structures

In addition to a falling marriage rate, fewer people in the U.S. have children under the age of 18 living in the house in comparison to 1970. Over the past decade, the share of families with children under 18, whether that be married couples or single parents, has stayed mostly steady, although the number of births in the U.S. has also fallen.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Father to the Fatherless International

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This study is available via the UK Data Service QualiBank, an online tool for browsing, searching and citing the content of selected qualitative data collections held at the UK Data Service.

Dennis Marsden's study Mothers Alone: Poverty and the Fatherless Family, also known as Fatherless Families, was carried out in 1965-1966. The study explores the lives and experiences of mothers living alone: unmarried, separated, divorced or widowed. The study posed two questions: what is poverty and who are the fatherless? The study asked about housing conditions, homelessness, diet and nutrition, family relations, marriage and marital breakdowns, and the levels and adequacy of community and national assistance. The interviewees were asked about detailed indicators of poverty and also the subjective, felt experience of poverty. The study examined problems families faced as a consequence of both low income and lack of fathers, the causes of their circumstances, and the adequacy of assistance provided by community and national sources.

The study was developed from a pilot study done for a larger project, 'Poverty in the UK', by Peter Townsend.

This is an enhanced qualitative data collection. All interviews were converted from paper to partially searchable Adobe PDF files. Additional relevant documents are included in the user guide, such as the questionnaire, the original letter sent to participants with assurances of consent and confidentiality, notes on methodology, and extracts from an interview with the author about conducting this research.


Main Topics:

Detailed questions were asked about living arrangements, marriage, factors that led to fatherlessness, and family structure. Also, physical conditions of housing, furniture, water supply and heating were described. Other topics covered included sources of income (work and benefits), health, food and diet and clothing. Regarding children, data were collected about their health and education.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Fatherless and Widows

In 2023, there were about 1.18 million Black families with a single father living in the United States. This is an increase from 1990, when there were 472,000 Black families with a single father in the U.S.

In 2023, 8.3 percent of white, non-Hispanic families with a single father were living below the poverty level in the United States. Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing, and shelter.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Fields of the Fatherless

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Fatherless Sons Inc.

In 2022, there were about 4.15 million Black families in the United States with a single mother. This is an increase from 1990 levels, when there were about 3.4 million Black families with a single mother.

Single parenthood

The typical family is comprised of two parents and at least one child. However, that is not the case in every single situation. A single parent is someone who has a child but no spouse or partner. Single parenthood occurs for different reasons, including divorce, death, abandonment, or single-person adoption. Historically, single parenthood was common due to mortality rates due to war, diseases, and maternal mortality. However, divorce was not as common back then, depending on the culture.

Single parent wellbeing

In countries where social welfare programs are not strong, single parents tend to suffer more financially, emotionally, and mentally. In the United States, most single parents are mothers. The struggles that single parents face are greater than those in two parent households. The number of families with a single mother in the United States has increased since 1990, but the poverty rate of black families with a single mother has significantly decreased since that same year. In comparison, the poverty rate of Asian families with a single mother, and the percentage of white, non-Hispanic families with a single mother who live below the poverty level in the United States have both been fluctuating since 2002.

St. Louis City, MO - Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in St. Louis city, MO was 55.00% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, St. Louis City, MO - Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in St. Louis city, MO reached a record high of 59.80 in January of 2009 and a record low of 54.13 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for St. Louis City, MO - Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in St. Louis city, MO - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Friend of the Fatherless Foundation

The number of single parents housing underage children in Germany has been increasing with figures for single fathers amounting to 181 thousand in 2018. In comparison, the number of single mothers with underage children amounted to roughly 1.3 million that year, a decrease compared to the previous years, in which the number amounted to almost 1.4 million.

Single parents

General statistics on households with children in Germany show that most families had one child, though it is not always possible to determine whether this was a household with one parent or two. Reasons for being a single parent may vary. It may be due to a court-appointed decision after a divorce, the death of a partner or other circumstances which might have led to parenting a child or children alone. When considering single mothers, additional reasons may include having children outside of a relationship or biological fathers refusing to be involved in raising children. These are only a few examples. As far as families with underage children are concerned, most German households had two children under the age of 18.

Child benefits

In many ways, Germany is a country which encourages and supports the population in having children, also financially. Monthly child benefit payments increase with more offspring. Single parents are also eligible for an alimony advance until their child turns 18, if not being financially supported by the second parent.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Boston Fatherless And Widows Society

Philadelphia County/city, PA - Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Philadelphia County, PA was 53.07% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Philadelphia County/city, PA - Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Philadelphia County, PA reached a record high of 55.32 in January of 2012 and a record low of 53.07 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Philadelphia County/city, PA - Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Philadelphia County, PA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of No Longer Fatherless Inc.

About 13.2 percent of households in Nigeria had, as of 2018, children being raised with neither their mother nor their father present. In addition, 7.3 percent of all households had children with one dead parent and an unknown survival status of the other parent.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Defend the Fatherless Inc.

The statistic shows the number of parental households in Mexico in 2015, by type. There were 5.62 million single parent households in Mexico in 2015.

This graph presents the percentage of single-parent families with children under 18 years of age in France from 1990 to 2020. It appears that the share of single-parents families went from 12.4 percent in 1990 to 24.7 percent in 2020.