Households and Families, March 1983

In 1983 about 73 percent of the 83.9 million households in the United States were composed of families (persons related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption). Married-couple families accounted for 60 percent of households, families headed by males (no wife present) accounted for

2 percent, and famiies headed by females
(no husband present) for 11 percent. The
remaining 27 percent were nonfamily
households--persons either living alone or
with nonrelatives (table 1).

Black households were just as likely as white households to be composed of families. However, black households were less likely than white households to be married-couple families and considerably more likely to be female-headed families. Black households were also more likely than white households to include own children.

About 72 percent of family householders (the person who owns or rents the living quarters) had completed at least 4 years of high school, and 20 percent had completed 4

or more years of college. Among female family householders, 63 percent had completed at least 4 years of high schoool, but only 9 percent had graduated from college. Black female householders maintaining one-parent families were the least likely to have graduated from college (3 percent).

Family householders (72 percent) were more likely than nonfamily householders (45) percent) to be homeowners. The proportion of owners tended to increase with age until age 65, after which it declined due to changes in living arrangements. For example, the proportion of owners was 10 percent for the 15-to-19 age group, 66 percent for the 35-to-39 age group, and 81 percent for the 55-to-64 age group. After age 64, ownership dropped to 77 percent for the 65-to-74 age group and to 72 percent for persons 75 years of age and over.

Since 1980 the net annual increase in the number of households averaged about 1.0 million per year, compared with 1.6 million per year between 1970 and 1980. Much of the drop in the level of annual increase in households is attributed to persons under 35

years of age; changes in economic conditions and the social climate may have discouraged the formation of new households, particularly among young adults. Since 1980 more adult children have been living at home with their parents, and many young adults have been postponing marriage to pursue educational and career goals. In addition, divorce rates for Americans have stabilized.

In 1983 there were 31.2 million families with their own children under 18 years old (table 2). About 22 percent of these families were headed by a single parent, up from 11 percent in 1970. Between 1970 and 1983 families with children have increased. However, only one-parent families contributed to the increase since two-parent families actually declined during the same period. Although the majority of one-parent families continued to be maintained by mothers, the proportion of one-parent families maintained by mothers increased at a slower rate than that maintained by fathers. In 1983 about 52 percent of black families with own children were single-parent families, up from 33 percent in 1970. In contrast, 17 percent of white families with own children were single-parent families in 1983, up from 9 percent in 1970.