Around *** million families in the United States had three or more children under 18 living in the household in 2023. In that same year, about ***** million households had no children under 18 living in the household.

The typical American picture of a family with 2.5 kids might not be as relevant as it once was: In 2023, there was an average of 1.94 children under 18 per family in the United States. This is a decrease from 2.33 children under 18 per family in 1960.

Familial structure in the United States

If there’s one thing the United States is known for, it’s diversity. Whether this is diversity in ethnicity, culture, or family structure, there is something for everyone in the U.S. Two-parent households in the U.S. are declining, and the number of families with no children are increasing. The number of families with children has stayed more or less constant since 2000.

Adoptions in the U.S.

Families in the U.S. don’t necessarily consist of parents and their own biological children. In 2021, around 35,940 children were adopted by married couples, and 13,307 children were adopted by single women.

Graph and download economic data for Total Families with Children under 18 Years Old with Married Couple (FMLWCUMC) from 1950 to 2024 about 18 years +, married, family, child, household survey, and USA.

The number of children aged between zero and five years old living in the U.S. amounted to around 22.53 million in 2022. This number has been trending downwards since 2010 when there were around 25.52 million children aged zero to five living in the U.S.

Children out of school (% of primary school age) in United States was reported at 3.9822 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Children out of school (% of primary school age) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

This statistic looks at the number of children aged between zero and five years of age in the United States from 2013 to 2020. The statistic shows a steady growth in numbers from 2000 to 2015 and then there is a slight decrease over the next five years,

In 2022, there were about 25.8 million children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old living in the United States. On the other hand, there were about 22.4 million children between the ages of zero and five years old in the country.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Unit Characteristics: Number of Children Under 18 by Deciles of Income Before Taxes: Fifth 10 Percent (41st to 50th Percentile) (CXU980050LB1506M) from 2014 to 2023 about consumer unit, percentile, tax, child, income, and USA.

United States US: Adjusted Net Enrollment Rate: Primary: Male: % of Primary School Age Children data was reported at 93.137 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 92.551 % for 2014. United States US: Adjusted Net Enrollment Rate: Primary: Male: % of Primary School Age Children data is updated yearly, averaging 94.128 % from Dec 1986 (Median) to 2015, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.628 % in 1991 and a record low of 91.823 % in 2004. United States US: Adjusted Net Enrollment Rate: Primary: Male: % of Primary School Age Children data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Adjusted net enrollment is the number of pupils of the school-age group for primary education, enrolled either in primary or secondary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

In 2023, around 1.2 million children in the United States were foster children or unrelated to their households' householder. Furthermore, about 59.8 million children were living with their biological parents.

United States US: Prevalence of Wasting: Weight for Height: Female: % of Children Under 5 data was reported at 0.700 % in 2012. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.500 % for 2009. United States US: Prevalence of Wasting: Weight for Height: Female: % of Children Under 5 data is updated yearly, averaging 0.550 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2012, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.800 % in 2005 and a record low of 0.100 % in 2001. United States US: Prevalence of Wasting: Weight for Height: Female: % of Children Under 5 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Prevalence of wasting, female, is the proportion of girls under age 5 whose weight for height is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59.; ; World Health Organization, Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition. Country-level data are unadjusted data from national surveys, and thus may not be comparable across countries.; Linear mixed-effect model estimates; Undernourished children have lower resistance to infection and are more likely to die from common childhood ailments such as diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections. Frequent illness saps the nutritional status of those who survive, locking them into a vicious cycle of recurring sickness and faltering growth (UNICEF, www.childinfo.org). Estimates of child malnutrition, based on prevalence of underweight and stunting, are from national survey data. The proportion of underweight children is the most common malnutrition indicator. Being even mildly underweight increases the risk of death and inhibits cognitive development in children. And it perpetuates the problem across generations, as malnourished women are more likely to have low-birth-weight babies. Stunting, or being below median height for age, is often used as a proxy for multifaceted deprivation and as an indicator of long-term changes in malnutrition.

United States Average Vehicles per Household: w/ Children data was reported at 2.200 Unit in 2009. This stayed constant from the previous number of 2.200 Unit for 2001. United States Average Vehicles per Household: w/ Children data is updated yearly, averaging 2.200 Unit from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2009, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.200 Unit in 2009 and a record low of 2.200 Unit in 2009. United States Average Vehicles per Household: w/ Children data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Center for Transportation Analysis. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.TA003: Number of Vehicles per Household.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Unit Characteristics: Number of Children Under 18 by Age: from Age 25 to 34 (CXU980050LB0403M) from 1984 to 2023 about consumer unit, age, 25 years +, child, and USA.

In 2022, about **** million U.S. family households had their own children between three and five years of age living in the household.

This graph shows the number of families in the United States by number of children and by racial origin. In 2014, about 1.7 million Hispanic families had three or more children under 18 living in the household.

Number of children in census families, Canada, provinces, territories.

Graph and download economic data for Total One Parent Families with Children under 18 Years Old with Mother (OPFWCUMO) from 1950 to 2024 about 18 years +, family, child, household survey, and USA.

This statistic depicts the number of children without health insurance in the U.S. in 2022, sorted by age. Around 100 thousand U.S. infants under the age of one year were not health insured in that year.

The graph illustrates the number of babies born in the United States from 1995 to 2025. The x-axis represents the years, labeled from '95 to '25, while the y-axis shows the annual number of births. Over this 30-year period, birth numbers peaked at 4,316,233 in 2007 and reached a low of 3,596,017 in 2023. The data reveals relatively stable birth rates from 1995 to 2010, with slight fluctuations, followed by a gradual decline starting around 2017. The information is presented in a line graph format, effectively highlighting the long-term downward trend in U.S. birth numbers over the specified timeframe.

The average for 2023 based on 196 countries was 26.11 percent. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 49.17 percent and the lowest value was in Hong Kong: 10.7 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.