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.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Unit Characteristics: Percent Homeowner by Composition of Consumer Unit: One Parent, at Least One Child Under 18 (CXUHOMEOWNLB0609M) from 1990 to 2023 about parent, consumer unit, homeownership, child, percent, and USA.

This statistic presents the percentage of underage children living in a single-parent family in France in 2018, distributed by region. It reveals that with **** percent of children living with only one parent, Martinique was the French region with the highest rate of children living in a single-parent family.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Wayne County, MI (S1101SPHOUSE026163) from 2009 to 2023 about Wayne County, MI; single-parent; Detroit; MI; households; 5-year; and USA.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Los Angeles County, CA was 32.63% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Los Angeles County, CA reached a record high of 34.00 in January of 2014 and a record low of 31.77 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Los Angeles County, CA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2025.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Franklin County, MA was 37.96% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Franklin County, MA reached a record high of 38.64 in January of 2011 and a record low of 32.37 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Franklin County, MA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

In 2022, about 19.22 million children in the United States lived with one parent. A further 51.45 million children lived with two parents in that year.

Detailed figures for children living with either a mother or a father only can be found here. The figures for children living with other relatives or non-relatives have been added up for the "No parents" column.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Buffalo County, SD was 71.11% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Buffalo County, SD reached a record high of 71.11 in January of 2023 and a record low of 43.20 in January of 2013. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Buffalo County, SD - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

Full Description Children are all persons under the age of 18 years. 'Own children' in a family are sons and daughters, including stepchildren and adopted children, of the householder. 'Single-parent family' means only one parent is present in the home, and is never-married, widowed, divorced, or married, spouse absent. This data originates from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates, table B11003. The ACS collects these data from a sample of households on a rolling monthly basis. ACS aggregates samples into one-, three-, or five-year periods.

Australia Percentage of Households: One Family: One Parent with Dependent Children: Source of Income: Govt Pensions & Allowances data was reported at 37.500 % in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 39.800 % for 2018. Australia Percentage of Households: One Family: One Parent with Dependent Children: Source of Income: Govt Pensions & Allowances data is updated yearly, averaging 44.450 % from Jun 2003 (Median) to 2020, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 54.200 % in 2004 and a record low of 37.500 % in 2020. Australia Percentage of Households: One Family: One Parent with Dependent Children: Source of Income: Govt Pensions & Allowances data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.H040: Survey of Income and Housing: Percentage of Households: by Source of Income.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Unit Characteristics: Percent Men Reference Persons by Composition of Consumer Unit: One Parent, at Least One Child Under 18 (CXU980210LB0609M) from 1984 to 2023 about parent, consumer unit, males, child, percent, persons, and USA.

About 71.1 percent of children under 18 years old of Asian ethnicity had at least one parent who had a Bachelor's degree or higher in the United States in 2021. In the same year, 28.7 percent of White students under the age of 18 had a parent with a Bachelor's degree.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Cobb County, GA was 27.72% in January of 2021, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Cobb County, GA reached a record high of 31.08 in January of 2014 and a record low of 26.65 in January of 2009. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Cobb County, GA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2022.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Onondaga County, NY (S1101SPHOUSE036067) from 2009 to 2023 about Onondaga County, NY; Syracuse; single-parent; NY; households; 5-year; and USA.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Collin County, TX was 18.26% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Collin County, TX reached a record high of 20.67 in January of 2014 and a record low of 17.62 in January of 2022. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Collin County, TX - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Palm Beach County, FL was 33.01% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Palm Beach County, FL reached a record high of 36.19 in January of 2014 and a record low of 32.60 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Palm Beach County, FL - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2025.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Nash County, NC was 43.58% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Nash County, NC reached a record high of 44.60 in January of 2015 and a record low of 41.34 in January of 2010. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Nash County, NC - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on October of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Unit Characteristics: Percent Not Hispanic or Latino by Composition of Consumer Unit: One Parent, at Least One Child Under 18 (CXU980286LB0609M) from 2004 to 2023 about parent, consumer unit, latino, hispanic, child, percent, and USA.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Beaver County, PA was 33.05% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Beaver County, PA reached a record high of 35.45 in January of 2019 and a record low of 28.45 in January of 2009. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Beaver County, PA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Unit Characteristics: Percent Never Attended School and Other by Composition of Consumer Unit: One Parent, at Least One Child Under 18 (CXU980320LB0609M) from 1984 to 2014 about parent, schools, consumer unit, education, child, percent, and USA.