This graph shows the Percentage of households led by a female householder with no spouse present with own children under 18 years living in the household in the U.S. in 2021, by state. In 2021, about 4.24 percent of Californian households were single mother households with at least one child.
Additional information on single mother households and poverty in the United States
For most single mothers a constant battle persists between finding the time and energy to raise their children and the demands of working to supply an income to house and feed their families. The pressures of a single income and the high costs of childcare mean that the risk of poverty for these families is a tragic reality. Comparison of the overall United States poverty rate since 1990 with that of the poverty rate for families with a female householder shows that poverty is much more prevalent in the latter. In 2021, while the overall rate was at 11.6 percent, the rate of poverty for single mother families was 23 percent. Moreover, the degree of fluctuation tends to be lower for single female household families, suggesting the rate of poverty for these groups is less affected by economic conditions.
The sharp rise in the number of children living with a single mother or single father in the United States from 1970 to 2022 suggests more must be done to ensure that families in such situations are able to avoid poverty. Moreover, attention should also be placed on overall racial income inequality given the higher rate of poverty for Hispanic single mother families than their white or Asian counterparts.
Percentage of households led by a single mother with children under age 18 living in the household in the U.S. in 2021, by state*
* Female family householders with no spouse present with own children under 18 years living in the household.
According to the definition by the U.S. Census Bureau a household "includes all of the people who occupy a housing unit. One person in each household is designated as the “householder.” In most cases, this is the person, or one of the people, in whose name the home is owned, being bought, or rented."
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US Census Bureau. (December 31, 2021). Percentage of households led by a single mother with children under age 18 living in the household in the U.S. in 2021, by state* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 09, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/242302/percentage-of-single-mother-households-in-the-us-by-state/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
US Census Bureau. "Percentage of households led by a single mother with children under age 18 living in the household in the U.S. in 2021, by state*." Chart. December 31, 2021. Statista. Accessed February 09, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/242302/percentage-of-single-mother-households-in-the-us-by-state/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
US Census Bureau. (2021). Percentage of households led by a single mother with children under age 18 living in the household in the U.S. in 2021, by state*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 09, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/242302/percentage-of-single-mother-households-in-the-us-by-state/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
US Census Bureau. "Percentage of Households Led by a Single Mother with Children under Age 18 Living in The Household in The U.S. in 2021, by State*." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Dec 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/242302/percentage-of-single-mother-households-in-the-us-by-state/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
US Census Bureau, Percentage of households led by a single mother with children under age 18 living in the household in the U.S. in 2021, by state* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/242302/percentage-of-single-mother-households-in-the-us-by-state/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed (last visited February 09, 2025)
Percentage of households led by a single mother with children under age 18 living in the household in the U.S. in 2021, by state* [Graph], US Census Bureau, December 31, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/242302/percentage-of-single-mother-households-in-the-us-by-state/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed