Children in Families- Single and Two Parents

Date posted: 10/04/2004

Family Type: A family includes a householder and one or more other people living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. (See additional information on Census definitions for households and families.) The Census classifies families as either a ''Married-couple family'' or ''Other family'' according to the presence of a spouse. A 'Married-couple family' includes families in which the householder and his or her spouse are enumerated as members of the same household. ''Other family'' is further broken out according to the sex of the householder into 'Male householder, no wife present' and 'Female householder, no husband present'. The data on family type are based on answers to questions on gender and relationship that were asked on both the short and long Census questionnaires.

What this chart shows: Children Living with One or Both Parents in the United States, Colorado, Larimer County, Cities and Towns - 2000

 

Data Source: United States Census

See data table

What these data tell us:

In 2000, Larimer County had a higher percentage of children living with both parents (81%) than Colorado (76%) and the nation (72%). Laporte and Wellington were exceptions to the county pattern.

What this chart shows: Children Living with both Parents, 1990 & 2000 - United States, Colorado, Larimer County, Cities and Towns

 

Data Source: United States Census

See data table

What these data tell us:

A smaller percentage of children in Larimer County lived with both parents in 2000 (81%) than in 1990 (84%). A similar decrease was recorded for Colorado and the nation. Berthoud and Timnath were the only towns in Larimer County that experienced an increase in the percentage of children living in two-parent families.

What this chart shows: Percentage of Children in Two-Parent Households by Parental Labor Force Status in Larimer County - 2000

Data Source: United States Census

See data table

What these data tell us:

Children over six years old were more likely to have both their parents in the labor force; with children in school, the cost of child care decreases and opportunities for employment increase. Families with young children may find it more cost effective to have one parent stay home rather than pay the cost of child care, which may explain why 39% of children under 6 had only their father in the labor force. Only 2% of all children had only their mother in the labor force, the same percentage had neither parent in the labor force.

What this chart shows: Percentage of Children in Single-Parent Households by Parental Labor Force Status - Larimer County, 2000

 

Data Source: United States Census

See data table

What these data tell us:

A higher percentage of children in single-parent families were more likely to have their parent in the labor force regardless of the children's age than children in two-parent families. For example, of school-age children in two-parent families, 69% had both parents in the labor force. In comparison, 91% of school-age children in single-parent families had their father in the labor force and 84% had their mother in the labor force.

While the trend for a parent to be out of the labor force when their children are young exists between both single and two-parent families, the single parent is much more likely to be in the labor force than either parent in a two-parent family. Of preschool children in single-parent families, 86% had their father in the labor force and 77% had their mother in the labor force. In comparison, 56% of preschoolers in two-parent families had both parents in the labor force.

Additional Information:

Labor force: All people classified in the civilian labor force (i.e., ''employed'' and ''unemployed'' people), plus members of the U.S. Armed Forces (people on active duty with the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard).

Return

Not in labor force: All people 16 years old and over who are not classified as members of the labor force. This category consists mainly of students, individuals taking care of home or family, retired workers, seasonal workers enumerated in an off-season who were not looking for work, institutionalized people (all institutionalized people are placed in this category regardless of any work activities they may have done in the reference week), and people doing only incidental unpaid family work (fewer than 15 hours during the reference week).

Family & Household definitions: All people in a household who are related to the householder are regarded as members of his or her family. A family household may contain people not related to the householder, but those people are not included as part of the householder's family in census tabulations. Thus, the number of family households is equal to the number of families, but family households may include more members than do families. A household can contain only one family for purposes of census tabulations. Not all households contain families since a household may be comprised of a group of unrelated people or of one person living alone.

Return

On Compass -

• Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP)
• Children in Out-of-Home Placement
• Household Types & Age of Residents
• Grandparents as Caregivers
• Marriage-Divorce Rates
• Population Size and Growth
• Self-Sufficient Wages

Outside Compass -

• Census 2000 Brief: Households and Families - This report presents information on the number and types of living arrangements derived from the item on the Census 2000 questionnaire that asked about the relationship to the householder.

Industry Standards or Targets:

N/A

Data Tables:

1990 Census - Children in Families, Parents in Labor Force

	Total Children in Families under 18	Living with both parents	Living with one parent	Living with Father	Father in Labor Force	Living with Mother	Mother in Labor Force
United States	60,879,093	45,667,594	15,211,499	2,501,455	2,174,860	12,710,044	8,338,012
%		75%	25%	16%	87%	84%	66%
Colorado	831,181	644,498	186,683	33,011	29,997	153,672	109,154
%		78%	22%	18%	91%	82%	71%
Larimer County	45,743	38,312	7,431	1,353	1,254	6,078	4,368
%		84%	16%	18%	93%	82%	72%
Berthoud	935	753	182	26	26	156	133
%		81%	19%	14%	100%	86%	85%
Estes Park	661	578	83	7	7	76	61
%		87%	13%	8%	100%	92%	80%
Fort Collins	19,112	15,611	3,501	635	591	2,866	2,075
%		82%	18%	18%	93%	82%	72%
Loveland	10,431	8,647	1,784	307	279	1,477	1,038
%		83%	17%	17%	91%	83%	70%
Timnath	25	14	11	0	0	11	11
%		56%	44%	0%	N/A	100%	100%
Wellington	484	374	110	3	0	107	62
%		77%	23%	3%	0%	97%	58%

See chart 'Children Living with Both Parents in 1990 & 2000'

See chart 'Children Living with Father only in 1990 & 2000' - Charts Page

2000 Census - Children in Families, Parents in Labor Force

	Total Children in Families under 18	Living with both Parents	Living with one Parent	Living with Father	Father in Labor Force	Living with Mother	Mother in Labor Force
United States	67,882,626	48,771,265	19,111,361	4,144,376	3,417,517	14,966,985	11,098,579
%		72%	28%	22%	82%	78%	74%
Colorado	1,043,072	792,410	250,662	62,112	53,590	188,550	150,645
%		76%	24%	25%	86%	75%	80%
Larimer County	57,552	46,517	11,035	3,114	2,792	7,921	6,488
%		81%	19%	28%	90%	72%	82%
Berthoud	1452	1238	214	40	40	174	150
%		85%	15%	19%	100%	81%	86%
Estes Park	902	712	190	88	75	102	91
%		79%	21%	46%	85%	54%	89%
Fort Collins	24,499	19,678	4,821	1,382	1,235	3,439	2,789
%		80%	20%	29%	89%	71%	81%
Laporte CDP	682	499	183	70	64	113	84
%		73%	27%	38%	91%	62%	74%
Loveland	13,127	10,415	2,712	667	615	2045	1639
%		79%	21%	25%	92%	75%	80%
Red Feather Lakes	21	5	16	8	8	8	0
%		24%	76%	50%	100%	50%	0%
Timnath	69	63	6	2	2	4	2
%		91%	9%	33%	100%	67%	50%
Wellington	843	615	228	65	63	163	143
%		73%	27%	29%	97%	71%	88%

See chart 'Percentage of Children in Single and Two-Parent Families'

See chart 'Children in Single-Parent Home by Parent Gender' - Charts Page

See chart 'Children with Single Parent in Labor Force, 1990 & 2000' - Charts Page

Children Living with Both Parents - 2000 Census

Larimer County	Children Under 6			Children 6 to 17
	%		#	%	#
Both parents in labor force	56%		8,228	69%	21,819
Father only in labor force	39%		5,730	27%	8,734
Mother only in labor force	2%		344	2%	767
Neither parent in labor force	2%		380	2%	515
Children Living with One Parent - 2000 Census
Father in labor force	86%	648		91%	2,144
Father not in labor force	14%	104		9%	218
Mother in labor force	77%	1,613		84%	4,875
Mother not in labor force	23%	486		16%	947

See chart 'Two-Parent Household'

See chart 'Single-Parent Household'

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