EMBARGOED UNTIL: OCT. 16, 1995 (MONDAY) Public Information Office CB95-186 301-457-3030 301-457-4067 Arlene Saluter 301-457-2465 SINGLE-PARENT GROWTH RATE STABILIZED; 2-PARENT FAMILY GROWTH RENEWED, CENSUS BUREAU REPORTS EMBARGOED UNTIL: OCT. 16, 1995 (MONDAY) - The growth rate of single parents was nearly 4 percent a year in the first half of the 1990s, but that growth rate, which establishes a trend for the remainder of the present decade, was not significantly different from that of the 1980s, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau reported today. And, according to the report titled, "Household and Family Characteristics: March 1994," P20-483, the numerical decline in 2-parent families that began in the 1970s and stabilized in the 1980s appears to have reversed during the first half of the 1990s. There were about 25.1 million married-couple families with children in the United States in 1994, an increase of about 521,000 since 1990, the report said. There were an estimated 11.4 million single-parents in 1994. Of that number, 9.0 million owned or rented their own home, 1.8 million lived in a relative's home (related subfamilies), and 650,000 lived in the home of a non-relative (unrelated subfamilies). In 1994, there were about 9.9 million single mothers versus 1.6 million single fathers. About 38 percent of single parents in 1994 had never been married, and roughly the same proportion were divorced at the time. Other report highlights: - Single parents accounted for almost two-thirds (65 percent) of all African American family groups with children present, compared with 35 percent among Hispanics and 25 percent among Whites. - In 1994, single fathers were twice as common among Whites (16 percent of all White single parents) as among African Americans (8 percent of all African American single parents). - The median number of persons per household in 1994 was 2.67 compared with 3.14 in 1970. - Persons living alone represented one quarter of all households in 1994, but the rate of increase in their number in the 1990s has slowed substantially since the 1970s. The slower rate of increase was attributed to changes in age structure and stabilization in the divorce rate. - Large families (with three or more children at home) are not as prevalent as in 1970, but have shown signs of a slight resurgence. Large families fell from 10.4 million in 1970 to 6.5 million in 1990, but rebounded to 7.1 million in 1994. Estimates in the report are based on data from the Current Population Survey. As with all surveys, the data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error.-X-Editor's note: media representatives may obtain a copy of the report from the Census Bureau's Public Information Office on 301-457-3030; fax: 301-457-3670; or e-mail: pio@census.gov. Non-media orders should be directed to the bureau's FastFax on 1-900-555-2Fax (there is a nominal fee); Customer Services Office on 301-763-INFO(4636) or fax: 301-457-3842.
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