Childless Households On the Rise?

American households have changed over the years, and trends show that childless households have increased, according to USA Facts and the Census Bureau. 

In 2023, the breakdown of households with and without children was: 

• Married no kids: 29.4% 
• Single no kids: 29.0% 
• Married parents: 17.9% 
• Single parents: 7.4% 
• Other: 16.3% 

One of the biggest groups to see change has been single households without children. In 1960, they accounted for only 13.1% (6.9 million) of all households. Now, the number has more than doubled (38.1 million), driving up the overall number of childless households nationwide.  

On the other hand, the group of married parents has drastically decreased since then. Making up 44.2% of households in 1960, the group has seen a 26.3% decrease. 

Notably, in 2023, single-parent households reached their lowest share since 1977, when they accounted for 7.1% of households. 

Additionally, other types of households have become more common, doubling since 1960. This group includes family households (such as adult relatives) and nonfamily households (such as nonmarried partners or roommates).  

Overall, the group that has remained the steadiest is married households without children, which have stayed consistently between 28% and 31% since 1960.