Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Buncombe County, NC (S1101SPHOUSE037021) from 2009 to 2023 about Buncombe County, NC; Asheville; single-parent; NC; households; 5-year; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Multnomah County, OR (S1101SPHOUSE041051) from 2009 to 2023 about Multnomah County, OR; single-parent; Portland; OR; households; 5-year; and USA.

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.

This web map provides estimates for the percentage of single-parent households from the American Community Survey 5-year data for the United States—50 states and the District of Columbia at county, place, census tract, and ZCTA-levels. Data were downloaded from data.census.gov using Census API and processed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Population Health, Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch. The project was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in conjunction with the CDC Foundation. Year: 2017–2021 ACS table(s): B11012, DP02 Data downloaded from: Census Bureau’s API for American Community Survey Date of API call: September 12, 2023 For questions or feedback send an email to places@cdc.gov.

Note: Own children are never-married sons and daughters under the age of 18, including stepchildren and adopted children, of the householder or married couple.

This indicator provides the number of households with own children under the age of 18 along with the percentage of these that are single parent households. The percentages are of households with children under 18 years of age, not out of all housing units. Further, it specifies the percentages of households with children under 18 years of age that are single parent father or single parent mother households. Therefore, sum of single father household and single mother households will add to percent of single parent household with own children under 18.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau; 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table S1101.

Single-parent Families reports the percent of families with children that are headed by a single parent, per race/ethnicity of the householder. Dimensions Year;Measure.Type;Variable Full Description Children are all persons under the age of 18 years, living in families, and related as children by birth, marriage, or adoption to the householder. Children living with married step-parents are not included. Single-parent families may include unmarried couples. 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. At this time only state-level annual data are available on CTdata.org. Town-level data aggregated from the five-year datasets (considered to be more accurate for geographic areas that are the size of a county or smaller) can be produced using Census tables currently available on the Census website.

we utilized data from two main sources: the United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI).American Community Survey (ACS):Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, the ACS is an ongoing survey that provides detailed demographic and socio-economic data on the population and housing characteristics of the United States.The survey collects information on various topics such as income, education, employment, health insurance coverage, and housing costs and conditions.It offers more frequent and up-to-date information compared to the decennial census, with annual estimates produced based on a rolling sample of households.The ACS data is essential for policymakers, researchers, and communities to make informed decisions and address the evolving needs of the population.CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index (SVI):Created by ATSDR’s Geospatial Research, Analysis & Services Program (GRASP) and utilized by the CDC, the SVI is designed to identify and map communities that are most likely to need support before, during, and after hazardous events.SVI ranks U.S. Census tracts based on 15 social factors, including unemployment, minority status, and disability, and groups them into four related themesEach tract receives rankings for each Census variable and for each theme, as well as an overall ranking, indicating its relative vulnerability.SVI data provides insights into the social vulnerability of communities at both the tract and county levels, helping public health officials and emergency response planners allocate resources effectively. In our utilization of these sources, we likely integrated data from both the ACS and the SVI to analyze and understand various socio-economic and demographic indicators at the state, county, and possibly tract levels. This integrated data would have been valuable for research, policymaking, and community planning purposes, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of social and economic dynamics across different geographical areas in the United StatesNote: Due to limitations in the ArcGIS Pro environment, the data variable names may be truncated. Refer to the provided table for a clear understanding of the variables.CSV Variable NameShapefile Variable NameDescriptionStateNameStateNameName of the stateStateFipsStateFipsState-level FIPS codeState nameStateNameName of the stateCountyNameCountyNameName of the countyCensusFipsCensusFipsCounty-level FIPS codeState abbreviationStateFipsState abbreviationCountyFipsCountyFipsCounty-level FIPS codeCensusFipsCensusFipsCounty-level FIPS codeCounty nameCountyNameName of the countyAREA_SQMIAREA_SQMITract area in square milesE_TOTPOPE_TOTPOPPopulation estimates, 2014-2018 ACSEP_POVEP_POVPercentage of persons below poverty estimateEP_UNEMPEP_UNEMPUnemployment Rate estimateEP_HBURDEP_HBURDHousing cost burdened occupied housing units with annual income less than $75,000EP_UNINSUREP_UNINSURUninsured in the total civilian noninstitutionalized population estimate, 2015-2019 ACSEP_PCIEP_PCIPer capita income estimate, 2015-2019 ACSEP_DISABLEP_DISABLPercentage of civilian noninstitutionalized population with a disability estimate, 2015-2019 ACSEP_SNGPNTEP_SNGPNTPercentage of single parent households with children under 18 estimate, 2015-2019 ACSEP_MINRTYEP_MINRTYPercentage minority (all persons except white, non-Hispanic) estimate, 2015-2019 ACSEP_LIMENGEP_LIMENGPercentage of persons (age 5+) who speak English "less than well" estimate, 2015-2019 ACSEP_MUNITEP_MUNITPercentage of housing in structures with 10 or more units estimateEP_MOBILEEP_MOBILEPercentage of mobile homes estimateEP_CROWDEP_CROWDPercentage of occupied housing units with more people than rooms estimateEP_NOVEHEP_NOVEHPercentage of households with no vehicle available estimateEP_GROUPQEP_GROUPQPercentage of persons in group quarters estimate, 2014-2018 ACSBelow_5_yrBelow_5_yrUnder 5 years: Percentage of Total populationBelow_18_yrBelow_18_yrUnder 18 years: Percentage of Total population18-39_yr18_39_yr18-39 years: Percentage of Total population40-64_yr40_64_yr40-64 years: Percentage of Total populationAbove_65_yrAbove_65_yrAbove 65 years: Percentage of Total populationPop_malePop_malePercentage of total population malePop_femalePop_femalePercentage of total population femaleWhitewhitePercentage population of white aloneBlackblackPercentage population of black or African American aloneAmerican_indianamerican_iPercentage population of American Indian and Alaska native aloneAsianasianPercentage population of Asian aloneHawaiian_pacific_islanderhawaiian_pPercentage population of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander aloneSome_othersome_otherPercentage population of some other race aloneMedian_tot_householdsmedian_totMedian household income in the past 12 months (in 2019 inflation-adjusted dollars) by household size – total householdsLess_than_high_schoolLess_than_Percentage of Educational attainment for the population less than 9th grades and 9th to 12th grade, no diploma estimateHigh_schoolHigh_schooPercentage of Educational attainment for the population of High school graduate (includes equivalency)Some_collegeSome_collePercentage of Educational attainment for the population of Some college, no degreeAssociates_degreeAssociatesPercentage of Educational attainment for the population of associate degreeBachelor’s_degreeBachelor_sPercentage of Educational attainment for the population of Bachelor’s degreeMaster’s_degreeMaster_s_dPercentage of Educational attainment for the population of Graduate or professional degreecomp_devicescomp_devicPercentage of Household having one or more types of computing devicesInternetInternetPercentage of Household with an Internet subscriptionBroadbandBroadbandPercentage of Household having Broadband of any typeSatelite_internetSatelite_iPercentage of Household having Satellite Internet serviceNo_internetNo_internePercentage of Household having No Internet accessNo_computerNo_computePercentage of Household having No computerThis table provides a mapping between the CSV variable names and the shapefile variable names, along with a brief description of each variable.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Clark County, KS (S1101SPHOUSE020025) from 2009 to 2023 about Clark County, KS; single-parent; KS; households; 5-year; and USA.

Single Parent Households by City. Note: Child definition is a child under 18 years old who is a son or daughter by birth, marriage (a stepchild), or adoption. Source: U.S. Census Bureau; 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table S1101.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Franklin County, OH (S1101SPHOUSE039049) from 2009 to 2023 about Franklin County, OH; single-parent; Columbus; OH; households; 5-year; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Santa Barbara County, CA (S1101SPHOUSE006083) from 2009 to 2023 about Santa Barbara County, CA; Santa Barbara; single-parent; CA; households; 5-year; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in St. Louis city, MO (S1101SPHOUSE029510) from 2009 to 2023 about St. Louis City, MO; single-parent; St. Louis; MO; households; 5-year; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Cook County, IL (S1101SPHOUSE017031) from 2009 to 2023 about Cook County, IL; single-parent; Chicago; IL; households; 5-year; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Washington County, OR (S1101SPHOUSE041067) from 2009 to 2023 about Washington County, OR; single-parent; Portland; OR; households; 5-year; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in District of Columbia (S1101SPHOUSE011001) from 2009 to 2023 about single-parent, DC, households, 5-year, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Norfolk city, VA (S1101SPHOUSE051710) from 2009 to 2023 about Norfolk City, VA; Virginia Beach; single-parent; VA; households; 5-year; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in San Diego County, CA (S1101SPHOUSE006073) from 2009 to 2023 about San Diego County, CA; single-parent; San Diego; CA; households; 5-year; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Hillsborough County, FL (S1101SPHOUSE012057) from 2009 to 2023 about Hillsborough County, FL; single-parent; Tampa; FL; households; 5-year; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Hamilton County, OH (S1101SPHOUSE039061) from 2009 to 2023 about Hamilton County, OH; Cincinnati; single-parent; OH; households; 5-year; and USA.