In 2021, some 8 percent of children under the age of 18 lived in households in which no parent had completed high school, 23 percent lived in mother-only households, and 5 percent lived in father-only households. In 2020, some 16 percent were in families living in poverty.
Characteristics of children’s families are associated with children’s educational experiences and their academic achievement. Prior research has found that the risk factors of living in a household without a parent who has completed high school, living in a single-parent household, and living in poverty are associated with poor educational outcomes—including receiving low achievement scores, having to repeat a grade, and dropping out of high school.1, 2 This indicator examines the prevalence of these risk factors among racial/ethnic groups. For more information on the relationship between family socioeconomic status and later postsecondary and employment outcomes, see The Condition of Education 2019 Spotlight indicator Young Adult Educational and Employment Outcomes by Family Socioeconomic Status.
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1 Includes parents who completed high school through equivalency programs, such as a GED program.
2 Includes parents with professional degrees.
NOTE: Data are based on sample surveys of the noninstitutionalized population, but this figure includes only children under age 18 who resided with at least one of their parents (including an adoptive or stepparent, but excluding parents not residing in the same household). Parents’ highest level of educational attainment is the highest level of education attained by any parent residing in the same household as the child. Caution should be used when comparing 2021 estimates to those of prior years due to the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on interviewing and response rates. For additional information about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Current Population Survey data collection, please see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar21.pdf. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2010 and 2021. See Digest of Education Statistics 2021, table 104.70.
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
1 Includes parents who completed high school through equivalency programs, such as a GED program.
NOTE: Data are based on sample surveys of the noninstitutionalized population, but this figure includes only children under age 18 who resided with at least one of their parents (including an adoptive or stepparent, but excluding parents not residing in the same household). Parents’ highest level of educational attainment is the highest level of education attained by any parent residing in the same household as the child. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2021. See Digest of Education Statistics 2021, table 104.70.
‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.
NOTE: Data are based on sample surveys of the noninstitutionalized population. Includes all children who live either with their parent(s) or with a householder to whom they are related by birth, marriage, or adoption (except a child who is the spouse of the householder). Children are classified by the number of parents they live with or, if no parents are present in the household, by the marital status of the householder who is related to the children. A “two-parent household” has two parents (married or unmarried) or related married householders. A “female parent-only household” has a female parent only or related female householder with no spouse present (i.e., the householder is unmarried, or the spouse is not in the household). A “male parent-only household” has a male parent only or related male householder with no spouse present. The householder is the person (or one of the people) who owns or rents (maintains) the housing unit. Data do not include foster children, children in unrelated subfamilies, children living in group quarters, and children who were reported as the householder or spouse of the householder. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data. Data do not sum to 100 percent because the “All other children” category is not reported.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2021. See Digest of Education Statistics 2021, table 102.20.
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
NOTE: Data are based on sample surveys of the noninstitutionalized population, but this figure includes only related children under age 18. The measure of child poverty includes all children who live in a household or are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption (except a child who is the spouse of the householder). The householder is the person (or one of the people) who owns or rents (maintains) the housing unit. Poverty status is determined by the Census Bureau using a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. For additional information about poverty status, see https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty/guidance/poverty-measures.html. Caution should be used when comparing 2020 estimates to those of prior years due to the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on interviewing and response rates. For additional information about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Current Population Survey data collection, please see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar21.pdf. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2011 and 2021. See Digest of Education Statistics 2021, table 102.60.
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.
1 Includes parents who completed high school through equivalency programs, such as a GED program.
NOTE: Data are based on sample surveys of the noninstitutionalized population, but this figure includes only related children under age 18 who resided with at least one of their parents (including an adoptive or stepparent, but excluding parents not residing in the same household). Parents' highest level of educational attainment is the highest level of education attained by any parent residing in the same household as the child. The measure of child poverty includes children who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption (except a child who is the spouse of the householder). The householder is the person (or one of the people) who owns or rents (maintains) the housing unit. Poverty status is determined by the Census Bureau using a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. For additional information about poverty status, see https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty/guidance/poverty-measures.html. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2021. See Digest of Education Statistics 2021, table 102.62.
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.
NOTE: Data are based on sample surveys of the noninstitutionalized population, but this figure includes only related children under age 18. Children are classified by the number of parents they live with or, if no parents are present in the household, by the marital status of the householder who is related to the children. A “two-parent household” has two parents (married or unmarried) or related married householders. A “female parent-only household” has a female parent only or related female householder with no spouse present (i.e., the householder is unmarried, or the spouse is not in the household). A “male parent-only household” has a male parent only or related male householder with no spouse present. The householder is the person (or one of the people) who owns or rents (maintains) the housing unit. Poverty status is determined by the Census Bureau using a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. For additional information about poverty status, see https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty/guidance/poverty-measures.html. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2021. See Digest of Education Statistics 2021, table 102.60.
NOTE: Data are based on sample surveys of the noninstitutionalized population, but this figure includes only related children under age 18. Children are classified by the number of parents they live with or, if no parents are present in the household, by the marital status of the householder who is related to the children. A “two-parent household” has two parents (married or unmarried) or related married householders. A “female parent-only household” has a female parent only or related female householder with no spouse present (i.e., the householder is unmarried, or the spouse is not in the household). A “male parent-only household” has a male parent only or related male householder with no spouse present. The householder is the person (or one of the people) who owns or rents (maintains) the housing unit. Poverty status is determined by the Census Bureau using a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. For additional information about poverty status, see https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty/guidance/poverty-measures.html.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2011 and 2021. See Digest of Education Statistics 2021, table 102.60.
NOTE: The measure of child poverty includes all children who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption (except a child who is the spouse of the householder). The householder is the person (or one of the people) who owns or rents (maintains) the housing unit. For additional information about poverty status, see https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty/guidance/poverty-measures.html.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2019. See Digest of Education Statistics 2020, table 102.40.
1 Pungello, E.P., Kainz, K., Burchinal, M., Wasik, B.H., Sparling, J.J., Ramey, C.T., and Campbell, F.A. (2010, February). Early Educational Intervention, Early Cumulative Risk, and the Early Home Environment as Predictors of Young Adult Outcomes Within a High-Risk Sample. Child Development, 81(1): 410–426. Retrieved January 8, 2021, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01403.x/full.
2 Ross, T., Kena, G., Rathbun, A., KewalRamani, A., Zhang, J., Kristapovich, P., and Manning, E. (2012). Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence Study (NCES 2012-046). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 8, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2012046.
3 Includes parents who completed high school through equivalency programs, such as a GED program.
4 Includes parents who had completed professional degrees.
5 Caution should be used when comparing 2020 and 2021 estimates to those of prior years due to the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on interviewing and response rates. For additional information about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Current Population Survey data collection, please see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar21.pdf.
6 A “two-parent household” has two parents (married or unmarried) or related married householders. A “female parent-only household” has a female parent only or related female householder with no spouse present (i.e., the householder is unmarried, or the spouse is not in the household). A “male parent-only household” has a male parent only or related male householder with no spouse present. Children are classified by the number of parents they live with or, if no parents are present in the household, by the marital status of the householder who is related to the children. The householder is the person (or one of the people) who owns or rents (maintains) the housing unit. Foster children, children in unrelated subfamilies, children living in group quarters, and children who were reported as the householder or spouse of the householder are not included in this analysis.
7 In this indicator, data on household income and the number of people living in the household are combined with the poverty threshold, published by the Census Bureau, to determine the poverty status of children. A household includes all families in which children are related to the householder by birth or adoption, or through marriage. The householder is the person (or one of the people) who owns or rents (maintains) the housing unit. In 2020, the poverty threshold for a family of four with two related children under 18 years old was $26,246. For a more detailed breakdown of the 2020 poverty rate, refer to this table.
8 Data on the poverty rate for Asian children living in households in which the highest level of education attained by either parent was an associate’s degree did not meet reporting standards in 2020. However, the pattern held that the poverty rate was highest for Asian children living in households in which no parent had completed high school (49 percent) and lowest for those in households in which the highest level of education attained by either parent was a bachelor’s or higher degree (3 percent).
9 Reporting standards were not met for American Indian/Alaska Native children living in households in which the highest level of education attained by either parent was a bachelor's or higher degree.
10 Reporting standards were not met for Pacific Islander children living in households by education attainment of either parent.
11 Data for Pacific Islander children living in mother-only and father-only households and data for Asian children living in father-only households by poverty rate did not meet reporting standards in 2020.
12 Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on response rates and survey administration, the Census Bureau changed the 2020 American Community Survey (ACS) release status to an experimental data product, meaning that it does not meet the Census Bureau’s typical quality standards. Due to limitations of comparability over time for the experimental data product, NCES is presenting 2019 data that are comparable with prior years. For more information see https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/working-papers/2021/acs/2021_CensusBureau_01.pdf