A new analysis looking at links between marriage, fertility
and other socioeconomic characteristics was released today
by the U.S. Census Bureau, providing the first-ever state-by-state
analysis of median age at first marriage. The analysis of
the multi-year marriage and fertility data from the American
Community Survey (ACS) also shows how socioeconomic characteristics
such as mother’s income, age, work status and language
spoken at home are correlated with birth rates.
The report, Indicators
of Marriage and Fertility in the United States From the American
Community Survey, 2000 to 2003, found that states
with a high estimated median age at first marriage tended
to have higher proportions of unmarried-couple households
and lower proportions of married-couple households.
“This study demonstrates the
power of the American Community Survey to help us understand
the kinds of changes taking place in the American family and
what those changes mean,” said Census Bureau Director
Louis Kincannon. “These are the types of data that policymakers
can use to more specifically target programs to strengthen
the family.”
The analysis of family structure variables
showed marked geographic patterns. States in the Northeast
had some of the highest levels of unmarried-couple households,
particularly Maine (7.3 percent of all households), New Hampshire
(7.2 percent) and Vermont (7.1 percent). States in the South,
including Alabama (3.0 percent), Arkansas (3.6 percent) and
Mississippi (3.8 percent), were among those with the lowest
percentages of unmarried-partner households.
Southern states (and the District of
Columbia) also tended to have a higher percentage of unwed
mothers with infants compared with the national average. These
included the District of Columbia (53.4 percent), Mississippi
(45.7 percent) and Louisiana (40.2 percent of all mothers).
Among the states with the lowest percentages
of unwed mothers with infants were Utah (14.7 percent), Minnesota
(20.6 percent) and Idaho (21.6 percent).
Teen births were also more prevalent
in the South, with Arkansas (where 13.3 percent of births
were to teens), Mississippi (12.8 percent) and Louisiana (12.1
percent) among those above the national average (7.7 percent).
The analysis, from a sample of over
3 million covering four years of American Community Survey
data (2000 – 2003), showed a link between the proportion
of mothers with infants living below the poverty level and
low levels of labor force participation, as well as a high
proportion of teen births among unmarried mothers.
In fact, one in every two unmarried
mothers who had recently given birth were living below the
poverty level — four times the rate of their married
counterparts. Nearly 30 percent of all new mothers were unmarried.
Other highlights:
- Men and women in the Northeast marry later, on average,
than their counterparts in the rest of the United States.
- One-fifth of all women who gave birth in California in
the last year either did not speak English well or did
not speak it at all. Texas (14.4 percent), Arizona (14.4
percent) and Nevada (14.2 percent) were among the states
with rates higher than the national average (8.2 percent).
- Fifteen percent of all women who gave birth within the
last year were noncitizens.
The American Community Survey is a
powerful new tool designed to produce current local data for
communities on a wide range of issues. The ACS is being mailed
to about 250,000 (roughly 1-in-480) addresses a month, nationwide,
and will provide current demographic, housing, social and
economic information about America’s communities every
year — information previously available only once every
10 years.
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The American Community Survey data are
based on responses from a sample of households across the
nation. The estimates and rankings may vary from the actual
values because of sampling or nonsampling variations. The
statistical statements have undergone testing, and comparisons
are significant at the 90-percent confidence level. Additional
information and data profiles for the nation, states, counties
and places may be accessed at <http://www.census.gov/acs>
or <http://factfinder.census.gov>.
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