Thirty-two percent of American children were living with an unmarried parent in 2017. That’s a total of 24 million children under 18. It’s also more than double the rate from 1968, when just 13 percent were living with an unmarried parent.[1]
The figures include 21 percent who live with a solo mother, 4 percent with a solo father, and 7 percent living with cohabiting parents.
There are substantial differences by race and ethnicity. Eighty-five percent (85 percent) of Asian children live with married parents as do 74 percent of white children. Among Hispanics, that figure is 62 percent. Among black children, just 36 percent live with married parents. A plurality of black children (47 percent) live with a solo mother.
Footnotes:
- Pew Research Center, "About one-third of U.S. children are living with an unmarried parent," April 27, 2018
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.
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