Statistics for Single Mothers
Once largely limited to poor women and minorities, single motherhood is now becoming the new “norm”. This prevalence is due in part to the growing trend of children born outside marriage — a societal trend that was virtually unheard of decades ago.
About 4 out 10 children were born to unwed mothers. Nearly two-thirds were born to mothers under the age of 30. 1 Today 1 in 5 children under the age of 18 — a total of about 14 million — are being raised without a father. 2
According to U.S. Census Bureau, out of about 10 million single parent families with children under the age of 18, more than 70 percent were headed by single mothers. 3 A third lived in poverty.
Demographic
More than half (52.1%) of single mothers have never married, almost a third (28.0%) are divorced. The remaining are either separated or widowed. 4
52.1%
28.0%
15.5%
4.3%
Employment
At any one time, more than two thirds of single mothers are working outside the home, a slightly greater share than the share of married mothers who are also working outside the home.
However, only half were employed full-time all year long, about one in five (15.3%) were jobless the entire year.5
Even if a single mother is able to work, her earning power still lags significantly compared with men’s, about 83¢ to a $1 for the same job — leaving a wage gap of 17¢ on the dollar. 6
Income
Single mothers earn income that place them well below married couples in the income ladder. The gap between the two groups is significantly large.
$39,120
$125,980
The median income for families led by a single mother in 2023 was about $39,120, well below the $125,980 median for married couples. 7
Poverty
Single mothers are much more likely to be poor than married couples. The official poverty rate for single-mother families in 2023 was 32.2%, nearly six times more than the rate (5.7)% for married-couple families. 8
Families headed by women of color fared even worse. Almost a third (28.4%) of Black female-headed families lived in poverty.
31.6%
28.4%
27.6%
19.3%
14.6%
Among all ethnic groups, Native American female-headed families with children had the highest poverty rate, with nearly one in three (31.6%) lived in poverty.
Hardship
Families headed by single mothers are among the poorest households, almost half (49.8%) were “food insecure”. 9 Nearly 1 in 4 (23.4%) received food stamps 10, while 15.3% received cash benefits from SSI/TANF. 11
49.8%
23.4%
15.3%
Even for those who did receive assistance, the amount was far less than the minimum they’d need to to stave off hardship — like hunger, homelessness, and utility cut-offs.
In 15 states, TANF benefit levels for a family of three did not even reach 20% of the poverty line which is equivalent to about $414 per month.
Access to Health Care
Across all income levels, single mothers are the group more likely to lack health insurance but the uninsured rates among single mothers have fallen in recent years — thanks to Obamacare.
According to the latest available data from U.S. Census Bureau, 10.3% had no health insurance coverage. 12
Although the Affordable Care Act will give more low-income single mothers access to health insurance, nearly half of these families reside in states that have declined to expand their Medicaid programs.
Among the 10 states not expanding Medicaid coverage, the median eligibility level for parents is just 50% of the federal poverty level, with only two (2) states — Tennessee and Wisconsin, covering parents with incomes at or near poverty.
Access to Child Care
Nationally the annual cost of center-based infant care averaged over 40% of the state median income for a single mother. About 30% for a school-age child.
In Massachusetts, New York, Washington, Nebraska and California, a single mother with an infant ages 0-3 would have to pay more than half of her income for day care at a center.
Child care subsidy, if eligible, is hard to come by. In 2023, 9 states had wait lists or had frozen their intake for child care assistance, with wait times ranging from 90 days to two years. 13
Access to Education
Single mothers often spend over half of their income on housing expenses and a third on child care, leaving them with less money for educational expenses.
According to the latest data from U.S. Census Bureau, a third graduated with a college degree, while almost one sixth had not completed high school. 14
Without financial aid, single mother students have little or no means to contribute financially to their educational expenses.
Compared to Single Mothers in Peer Countries
The majority of single mothers in the United States are separated, divorced or widowed; and they work more hours and yet have higher poverty rates than single mothers in other high-income countries.
This is due to the fact that many employed single mothers are earning poverty wages in low-wage jobs and often have no access to paid leave.
These along with less generous “safety net programs” and wage inequality among women help explain the exceptionally high poverty rate for single mother families in the U.S.
Footnotes
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ChildStat.gov, Births to Unmarried Women ↩
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U.S. Census Bureau, Own Children Under 18 Years by Family Type and Age ↩
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U.S. Census Bureau, Family Type by Presence and Age of Own Children Under 18 ↩
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U.S. Census Bureau, Table FG6. One-parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Marital Status of the Reference Person ↩
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U.S. Census Bureau, Presence of Own Children Under 18 Years by Family Type by Employment Status ↩
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U.S. Census Bureau, Median Income in the Past 12 Months ↩
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U.S. Census Bureau, Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months of Families ↩
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U.S. Census Bureau, Food Stamps/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ↩
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U.S. Census Bureau, Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months of Families by Family Type by Social Security Income by Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Cash Public Assistance Income ↩
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U.S. Census Bureau, Selected Characteristics of Health Insurance Coverage in the United States ↩
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U.S. Census Bureau, Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months of Families by Household Type by Educational Attainment of Householder ↩