Census Bureau Facts for Features
A product of the U.S. Census Bureau's Public Information Office CB99-FF.08 June 10, 1999 Father's Day 1999: June 20 Although Father's Day initially might bring to mind "traditional" families -- a father living with his children and their mother, single fathers have become an increasingly significant presence in the nation's social landscape. This fact sheet takes a closer look at them and their families. Single Fathers - The number of single fathers grew 25 percent between 1995 and 1998, from 1.7 million to 2.1 million, while the number of single mothers remained constant at about 9.8 million. Consequently, men comprised 1 in 6 of the nation's 11.9 million single parents in 1998, up from 1 in 7 in 1995 and 1 in 10 in 1980. - The typical single father in 1998 was 38 years old; 1 in 9 was under age 25; and 1 in 70 was 60 or older. - About half of single fathers resided in suburban areas in 1998. - Most of the nation's single fathers (85 percent) maintained their own household in 1998. The remainder lived in the home of a relative (12 percent) or a nonrelative (3 percent). - In 1998, 44 percent of single fathers were divorced, 35 percent had never married, 12 percent were separated and about 5 percent each were widowed and separated due to reasons other than marital discord. - Of single fathers raising their own children in 1998, 63 percent cared for only one child under 18 and 11 percent cared for three or more. - In 1998, about 5 of every 6 (83 percent) of the nation's single fathers were White. African Americans and Hispanics (who may be of any race) each comprised about 13 percent. - Fifty-five percent of single fathers who maintained their own household in 1998 had at least one other adult in their home to help them out. For further information on the data in this section, go to the following URL: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-228.html Single-Father Versus Two-Parent Families - Following are some social and economic indicators for children living with a single father and those living with both parents. Unless otherwise indicated, the data are for 1998: Children living with their father only: Children living with both parents: There were 3.1 million such children, There were 48.6 million such triple the number in 1980. children, not statistically different from the 1980 number. Their 1997 median family income was Their 1997 median family $29,313. income was $52,553. Twenty percent were poor in 1997. Nine percent were poor in 1997. For 77 percent, their fathers had For 86 percent, at least one high school diplomas (for 11 percent, parent had a high school their dads had a bachelor's degree or diploma (for 29 percent, at higher). least one parent had a bachelor's degree or higher. Half lived in rental housing. One-quarter lived in rental housing. For further information on the data in this section, go to the following URL: www.census.gov/Press-Release/wwww/1999/cb99-03.html Fathers as Child-Care Providers - In 1994, there were 6.2 million married-couple families with preschoolers, where the mother was employed. Among these families, 27 percent of the fathers cared for the children during the mother's working hours. That year, there were a total of 12.1 million married-couple families with own children under 6. http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/child/98tab01.txt http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam.html Child Support - The 2.1 million fathers in 1996 who had custody of their children comprised 15 percent of all custodial parents. They were less likely to have been awarded child support (40 percent) than custodial mothers (61 percent). Of those due payments in 1995, they also were less likely to receive at least a portion of payments owed (57 percent) than custodial mothers (70 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-77.html - Fathers receiving child support had higher average incomes ($30,030) than mother receiving it ($21,829) in 1995. These men received an average of $3,370 during that year, not statistically different from the $3,767 custodial mothers received. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-77.html The preceding facts come from the Current Population Survey and Survey of Income and Program Participation. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Previous 1999 Census Bureau Facts for Features: African American History Month (February), Valentine's Day (February 14), Women's History Month (March), Countdown to Census 2000 (April 1), Secretaries' Day (April 21), Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month (May) and Mother's Day (May 9). Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office (Tel: 301-457-3030; fax: 301-457-3670; e-mail: pio@census.gov).
