America's Families - Households

Historically, families have accounted for the majority of all households, but that picture changed significantly during the latter half of the twentieth century. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2002 only 68% of households fit the bureau's definition of a family (with 52% constituting "family/married couples," 16% categorized as "other family," and 32% described as "nonfamily."

Americans began to live longer, marry later, or not marry at all, and had fewer children. Some married couples chose to remain childless. Since the 1960s an increasing number of couples chose to simply live together rather than formalize their union through marriage. Other individuals shared living space with roommates or boarders. More people who elected to remain single became parents through out-of-wedlock births, surrogate births, and adoption. Similarly, gay and lesbian couples established families. Divorce became more common and remarriage often created "yours-mine-and-ours" blended families. Adult offspring with personal or financial difficulties returned home to live with their parents. Grandparents looking forward to retirement sometimes found themselves raising grandchildren. Finally, increased longevity required some senior citizens to live with their children or other family members who could care for them. All of these factors contributed to the changing profile of the American family.

According to Census statistics, family households declined from 90% of all households in 1940 to 68% in 2002. There were 109.3 million households in the United States in 2002, about 74.3 million of which were family households. Of these, 56.7 million were designated "married couple" and 17.6 million were "other family" households in Census Bureau terminology. Another 34.9 million households fit the "nonfamily" category.

Household Size

Census data show a decrease in the number of people living together in households over the past century. In 1900 the average household included 4.6 people. Between 1960 and 2002 the total number of households more than

TABLE 1.1

Households by size, 1960–2002
(Numbers in thousands)
Year	All households	One person	Two persons	Three persons	Four persons	Five persons	Six persons	Seven or more persons	Persons per household
rRevised based on population from the decennial census for that year.
sData for March 2001 and later use population controls based on Census 2000 and an expanded sample of households designed to improve state estimates of children with health insurance.
SOURCE: "Households by Size, 1960–Present," in Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2003 Current Population Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, 2003, http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/tabHH-4.pdf (accessed July 16,2004)
2002	109,297	28,775	36,240	17,742	15,794	6,948	2,438	1,360	2.58
2001s	108,209	28,207	35,917	17,444	15,692	6,978	2,555	1,415	2.58
2000	104,705	26,724	34,666	17,172	15,309	6,981	2,445	1,428	2.62
1999	103,874	26,606	34,262	17,386	15,030	6,962	2,367	1,261	2.61
1998	102,528	26,327	32,965	17,331	15,358	7,048	2,232	1,267	2.62
1997	101,018	25,402	32,736	17,065	15,396	6,774	2,311	1,334	2.64
1996	99,627	24,900	32,526	16,724	15,118	6,631	2,357	1,372	2.65
1995	98,990	24,732	31,834	16,827	15,321	6,616	2,279	1,382	2.65
1994	97,107	23,611	31,211	16,898	15,073	6,749	2,186	1,379	2.67
1993r	96,426	23,558	31,041	16,964	14,997	6,404	2,217	1,244	2.66
1993	96,391	23,642	31,175	16,895	14,926	6,357	2,180	1,215	2.63
1992	95,669	23,974	30,734	16,398	14,710	6,389	2,126	1,338	2.62
1991	94,312	23,590	30,181	16,082	14,556	6,206	2,237	1,459	2.63
1990	93,347	22,999	30,114	16,128	14,456	6,213	2,143	1,295	2.63
1989	92,830	22,708	29,976	16,276	14,550	6,232	2,003	1,084	2.62
1988	91,066	21,889	29,295	16,163	14,143	6,081	2,176	1,320	2.64
1987	89,479	21,128	28,602	16,159	13,984	6,162	2,176	1,268	2.66
1986	88,458	21,178	27,732	16,088	13,774	6,276	2,138	1,272	2.67
1985	86,789	20,602	27,389	15,465	13,631	6,108	2,299	1,296	2.69
1984	85,407	19,954	26,890	15,134	13,593	6,070	2,372	1,394	2.71
1983	83,918	19,250	26,439	14,793	13,303	6,105	2,460	1,568	2.73
1982	83,527	19,354	26,486	14,617	12,868	6,103	2,480	1,619	2.72
1981	82,368	18,936	25,787	14,569	12,768	6,117	2,549	1,643	2.73
1980	80,776	18,296	25,327	14,130	12,666	6,059	2,519	1,778	2.76
1979	77,330	17,201	23,928	13,392	12,274	6,187	2,573	1,774	2.78
1978	76,030	16,715	23,334	13,040	11,955	6,356	2,723	1,906	2.81
1977	74,142	15,532	22,775	12,794	11,630	6,285	2,864	2,263	2.86
1976	72,867	14,983	22,321	12,520	11,407	6,268	3,001	2,367	2.89
1975	71,120	13,939	21,753	12,384	11,103	6,399	3,059	2,484	2.94
1974	69,859	13,368	21,495	11,913	10,900	6,469	3,063	2,651	2.97
1973	68,251	12,635	20,632	11,804	10,739	6,426	3,245	2,769	3.01
1972	66,676	12,189	19,482	11,542	10,679	6,431	3,374	2,979	3.06
1971	64,778	11,446	18,892	11,071	10,059	6,640	3,435	3,234	3.11
1970	63,401	10,851	18,333	10,949	9,991	6,548	3,534	3,195	3.14
1969	62,214	10,401	18,034	10,769	9,778	6,387	3,557	3,288	3.21
1968	60,813	9,802	17,377	10,577	9,623	6,319	3,627	3,488	3.00
1967	59,236	9,200	16,770	10,403	9,559	6,276	3,491	3,550	3.30
1966	58,406	9,093	16,679	9,993	9,465	6,257	3,465	3,465	3.32
1965	57,436	8,631	16,119	10,263	9,269	6,313	3,327	3,514	3.32
1964	56,149	7,821	15,622	10,034	9,565	6,328	3,373	3,405	3.34
1963	55,270	7,501	15,279	9,989	9,445	6,240	3,473	3,342	3.33
1962	54,764	7,473	15,461	10,077	9,347	6,016	3,368	3,022	3.32
1961	53,557	7,112	15,185	9,780	9,390	6,052	3,085	2,953	3.38
1960	52,799	6,917	14,678	9,979	9,293	6,072	3,010	2,851	3.35

doubled from 52,799 to 109,297. During this same period, household size dropped 23%, from an average of 3.35 people per household in 1960 to 2.58 in 2002. The number of single-person households quadrupled. Three- and four-person families—couples with one or two children—remained relatively stable.

In 2002, Census data revealed that the percentage of six-person families was 19% lower than in 1960 and families with seven or more persons occurred 50% less frequently. (See Table 1.1.) Despite the smaller overall number of large families in 2000, the frequency of large families had begun to increase in 1989. Over the next twelve years, six-person families increased 20%, and families with seven or more persons increased more than 30%. (See Table 1.1.) This trend paralleled a growth in immigration during the same period.

IMMIGRATION AND LARGER HOUSEHOLD SIZE. According to the Census Bureau's report The Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2003, 36.6% of the foreign-born population in the United States arrived in the decade 1990–99. Another 13.6% of the foreign-born population entered the United States after 1999. Of foreign-born households, 25% included five or more people compared to 12.5% of native households. (See Figure 1.1.)

TABLE 1.2

Family size in foreign-born households by geographic origin of householder, 20031,2,3
(Numbers in thousands)
			World region of birth
	Foreign born		Europe		Asia		Latin America		Other areas
Household type and size	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
–Represents or rounds to zero.
1Households with a foreign-born householder are defined as foreign-born households, regardless of the nativity of other household members.
2The majority of those born in 'Latin America' are from Mexico. Those born in 'Other Areas' are from Africa, Oceania, and Northern America.
3The data in this table do not include the population living in group quarters.
4Households in which at least one member is related to the person who owns or rents the house (householder).
SOURCE: "Table 3.4. Household Type among Foreign-Born Households by Size and by World Region of Birth of the Householder: 2003," in Annual Social and Economic Supplement: 2003 Current Population Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, 2003, http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/foreign/ppl-174/tab03-04.pdf (accessed August 10. 2004)
Total all households	13,912	100.0	2,296	100.0	3,490	100.0	6,901	100.0	1,224	100.0
One person	2,488	17.9	647	28.2	661	18.9	869	12.6	310	25.3
Two people	3,429	24.6	877	38.2	872	25.0	1,354	19.6	325	26.5
Three people	2,574	18.5	343	14.9	723	20.7	1,293	18.7	215	17.6
Four people	2,710	19.5	277	12.0	727	20.8	1,475	21.4	231	18.9
Five people	1,488	10.7	105	4.6	309	8.8	994	14.4	81	6.6
Six people	684	4.9	36	1.6	112	3.2	498	7.2	38	3.1
Seven or more people	540	3.9	11	0.5	87	2.5	419	6.1	24	1.9
Total family households4	10,700	100.0	1,529	100.0	2,641	100.0	5,698	100.0	832	100.0
Two people	2,952	27.6	783	51.2	725	27.4	1,182	20.7	262	31.5
Three people	2,434	22.7	326	21.4	693	26.2	1,211	21.3	203	24.4
Four people	2,642	24.7	269	17.6	717	27.1	1,430	25.1	227	27.3
Five people	1,468	13.7	103	6.7	307	11.6	980	17.2	77	9.3
Six people	667	6.2	36	2.4	112	4.2	481	8.4	38	4.6
Seven or more people	536	5.0	11	0.7	87	3.3	414	7.3	24	2.8
Total nonfamily households	3,213	100.0	768	100.0	849	100.0	1,203	100.0	393	100.0
One person	2,488	77.4	647	84.3	661	77.9	869	72.3	310	78.9
Two people	477	14.8	94	12.3	147	17.4	172	14.3	63	16.0
Three people	140	4.4	17	2.2	29	3.4	82	6.8	12	3.1
Four people	67	2.1	8	1.0	10	1.2	45	3.7	4	1.1
Five people	20	0.6	2	0.2	1	0.1	14	1.1	4	0.9
Six people	17	0.5	–	–	–	–	17	1.4	–	–
Seven or more people	4	0.1	–	–	–	–	4	0.4	–	–

The largest number of foreign-born residents came from Latin American countries, and they had the largest families with five or more people in 32.9% of family households. They were also the only foreign-born group with more than five people reported in nonfamily households. (See Table 1.2.)

OTHER FACTORS INFLUENCED HOUSEHOLD SIZE. Changes in rates of fertility, marriage, divorce, and mortality all contributed to declines in the size of American households. Between 1950 and 2001 U.S. Census figures show the total death rate declined 11.5% and infant mortality rates plummeted 76.7%. Americans were healthier and lived longer. During this same period, however, the birth rate dropped 41.5%. The rate of marriage declined 24.3% while the divorce rate rose 53.8%. (See Table 1.3.)

In the twenty-first century, American life expectancy continued to increase. A baby boy born in 1900 could expect to live 46.3 years compared to 74.4 years for a boy born in 2001. (See Table 1.4.) In a February 2004 news release, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that life expectancy in the United States reached an all-time high in 2002, but the infant mortality rate increased for the first time since 1958. The preliminary report noted increases in low birth-weight babies, preterm births, and multiple births as factors contributing to higher risk of infant death during the first twenty-eight days of life. Overall death rates continued to decline. The divorce rate fell, but so did the marriage rate. The live birth rate and fertility rate, however, both increased slightly. (See Table 1.5.)