If you were a child living in Naperville, Ill., your chances of living with two married parents, a householder in the labor force, in an owned home or above the poverty level were highest or next to highest among children in all cities with at least 100,000 people, according to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

     The finding is one of the conclusions of Children and the Households They Live In: 2000 [PDF], a special report on the social and economic characteristics of the nation’s 72 million children, based on Census 2000 data.

     According to rankings of cities of 100,000 or more population, Naperville had only 1 percent of children living in unmarried-partner households, and only 2 percent were not sons or daughters of the householder. Also, the city had one of the lowest poverty rates for children under 18 (2 percent) and the lowest rate of children in homes receiving public assistance
(0.4 percent).

     Naperville also was among the cities with the lowest percentage of children living with a householder not in the labor force.

     Other highlights for children under 18 in cities with populations of 100,000 or more:

• Along with Naperville, other cities with low poverty rates for children included Gilbert, Ariz.; Overland Park, Kan.; Livonia, Mich.; and Plano, Texas — all between 3 percent and 5 percent. Nationally, the 1999 poverty rate for children was 17.5 percent.

• Following Naperville, cities with the lowest percentage of children living in unmarried-partner households were Irvine, Calif.; Plano, Texas; Provo, Utah; and Livonia, Mich. — all around 2 percent. The percentage nationwide was 5.7 percent.

• Cities with the lowest percentage of children living with a foreign-born householder were Jackson, Miss.; Flint, Mich.; Birmingham, Ala.; Evansville, Ind.; and Gary, Ind. — all between 1 percent and 2 percent. The national rate was 17 percent.

     The data in the report are based on the sample of households that responded to the Census 2000 long form. Nationally, approximately 1-in-6 housing units were included in the sample. Estimates in the report are subject to sampling and nonsampling error.

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