Living Arrangements

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities

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Living Arrangements

Q:	Does the proportion of children living in poverty vary by family structure?
A:	Children in single-parent families are more likely to live in poverty.

Poverty status of children by family structure, 2007

Children living with	Children under 18*	Percent below the poverty level	Percent of all children receiving
Children living with	Children under 18*	Percent below the poverty level	Food stamps	Public assistance
All Types	73,746	18%	13%	4%
Two parents	52,153	9	6	1
Single Parent	19,047	37	30	10
Mother only	16,658	40	33	11
Father only	2,389	16	12	4
Neither parent*	2,545	42	19	8

* data are in thousands.
** Includes children living with other relatives and those living with non-relatives.

[ Excel file ]

In 2007, less than 1 in 10 (9%) of children living with both parents lived below the poverty level compared to more than 3 in 10 (37%) of children living with only one parent.
Children living with only their mothers in 2007 were more than twice as likely to live in poverty than those living with only their fathers (40% vs. 16%).
Overall, about 4% of children in 2007 lived in households receiving public assistance and 13% lived in households receiving food stamps, but the proportions were far greater for children living in single-mother families.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/population/qa01203.asp?qaDate=2007. Released on October 24, 2008.

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2007. Table C-8: "Poverty Status, Food Stamp Receipt, and Public Assistance for Children Under 18 Years." [Internet release date: July 2008]. Web-based data files available at: www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2007.html.