Families in the United States - Statistics & Facts
A family in the United States consists of 3.13 people on average. Families are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a group of two or more people residing together related by birth, marriage, or adoption. There are 84.2 million families in the United States.
In around 50 million families, there are no children under the age of 18, whereas about seven million have three or more children living in the household. The number of families with no children has increased over the last two decades, whereas large households stayed about the same.
A similar tendency can be observed worldwide. The global fertility rate dropped from five children per woman in 1950, to 2.5 in 2020. African countries have the highest birth rate in the world. Nevertheless, this has been decreasing since last century.
Nevada has the highest marriage rate among all states. Nevada is the only U.S. state where it is possible to get a marriage license and immediately get married, which might explain the higher rate. Overall, the number of married people in the United States has increased over the last decades. However, this likely due to the rising population, as the marriage rate, in fact, dropped by about four marriages per 1,000 of the population in the last 30 years.
In around 50 million families, there are no children under the age of 18, whereas about seven million have three or more children living in the household. The number of families with no children has increased over the last two decades, whereas large households stayed about the same.
Decreasing birth rates worldwide
Children lived in about half of American families in the 1970s, while nowadays families with children represent a much lower amount. This reflects the steady decline of the birth rate in the United States. In the 1960s and 1970s, a woman in the United States had about 2.5 babies on average. In 2020, the birth rate reached 1.78 children per woman.A similar tendency can be observed worldwide. The global fertility rate dropped from five children per woman in 1950, to 2.5 in 2020. African countries have the highest birth rate in the world. Nevertheless, this has been decreasing since last century.
Families and marriages
In 2015, under the Obama administration, same-sex marriage was legalized in all 50 states. As of 2021, there were more than 700,000 married same sex couples, while almost 500,000 were living together. In total, there are roughly 61.4 million married couples in the United States.Nevada has the highest marriage rate among all states. Nevada is the only U.S. state where it is possible to get a marriage license and immediately get married, which might explain the higher rate. Overall, the number of married people in the United States has increased over the last decades. However, this likely due to the rising population, as the marriage rate, in fact, dropped by about four marriages per 1,000 of the population in the last 30 years.
