Knowledge Center

Population

In 2010, 52.7% of single people ages 15 and over were women.1

• 79.3% of women and 88.7% of men ages 20-24 have never been married.2
• 47.8% of women and 62.2% of men ages 25-29 have never been married.3
• 27.2% of women and 36.5% of men ages 30-34 have never been married.4
• 39.9% of women 65 and older are widowed, compared to 12.7% of men in the same age group.5
• For women and men age 15 and older, 11.1% of women and 8.5% of men are divorced.6

Living Arrangements

• In 2010, there were 17,428,000 women 18 and older living alone.7
• Women living alone represented 67.0% of one-person households in 19708 and declined to 58.2% of one-person households by 2010. Although there are still more households with women living alone, men living alone has had a higher growth rate since 1970.9

Marriage and Children

In 2010, there were 11,686,000 single parent families with children under age 18.10

• 9,924,000 of these single parents were mothers. 6,488,000, or 65.4%, of single mothers were in the labor force.11
• 1,762,000 of these single parents were fathers. 1,278,000, or 72.5%, of single fathers were in the labor force.12

In 2010, 2,441,000 of all single parent families had children under age 3.13

• 2,234,000 of single parents with children under 3 were mothers.14 1,194,000, or 53.4%, of these mothers were employed.15
• 207,000 of single parents with children under 3 were fathers. 146,000, or 70.5%, of these fathers were employed.16

In 2011, there were 11,759,000 single parent families with children under age 18.17

• 10,025,000 of these single parents were mothers. 6,518,000, or 65.0%, of single mothers were in the labor force.18
• 1,197,000 of these single parents were fathers. 873,000, or 72.9%, of single fathers were in the labor force.19

In 2011, 2,271,000 of all single parent families had children under age 3.20

• 2,086,000 of single parents with children under 3 were mothers.21 1,050,000 or 50.3%, of these mothers were employed.22
• 185,000 of single parents with children under 3 were fathers.23 148,000, or 80.1%, of these fathers with children under 3 were employed.24

Labor Force

• The labor force participation rate for single women in 2010 was 56.4%.25
• 20,592,000 never married women were in the labor force, with a participation rate of 63.3%.26
• 9,246,000 divorced women were in the labor force, with a participation rate of 67.3%.27
• 2,280,000 widowed were in the labor force, with a participation rate of 20.0%.28

Earnings and Income

• In 2010-2011, single women ages 35-44 had the highest average annual expenditures of all age groups of women at $ 36,379.29

How to cite this product: Catalyst. Catalyst Quick Take: Single People in the U.S.. New York: Catalyst, 2013.

• 1. U.S. Census, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table A1: Marital Status of People 15 Years and Over, by Age, Sex, Personal Earnings, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2010" (2011).
• 2. U.S. Census, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table A1: Marital Status of People 15 Years and Over, by Age, Sex, Personal Earnings, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2010" (2011).
• 3. U.S. Census, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table A1: Marital Status of People 15 Years and Over, by Age, Sex, Personal Earnings, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2010" (2011).
• 4. U.S. Census, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table A1: Marital Status of People 15 Years and Over, by Age, Sex, Personal Earnings, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2010" (2011).
• 5. U.S. Census, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table A1: Marital Status of People 15 Years and Over, by Age, Sex, Personal Earnings, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2010" (2011).
• 6. U.S. Census, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table A1: Marital Status of People 15 Years and Over, by Age, Sex, Personal Earnings, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2010" (2011).
• 7. U.S. Census, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table A2: Family Status and Household Relationship of People 15 Years and Over, by Marital Status, Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2010: Not in Family Groups, Householder, Living Alone" (2011).
• 8. U.S. Census, Families and Living Arrangements, "Household and Family Characteristics: March 1990 and 1989; Table A Household Composition, by Presence of Own Children Under 18; 1980, 1980, and 1970," Historical Household and Family Characteristics P20 reports 1978 through 1992.
• 9. U.S. Census, Families and Living Arrangements, "Household and Family Characteristics: March 1990 and 1989; Table A Household Composition, by Presence of Own Children Under 18; 1980, 1980, and 1970," Historical Household and Family Characteristics P20 reports 1978 through 1992.
• 10. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 11. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 12. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 13. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 14. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 15. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 16. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 17. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 18. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 19. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 20. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 21. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 22. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 23. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 24. U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, "Table FG5: One-Parent Unmarried Family Groups with Own Children Under 18, by Labor Force Status of the Reference Person: 2010" (2011).
• 25. Hilda L. Solis and Keith Hall, Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (2011).
• 26. Hilda L. Solis and Keith Hall, Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (2011).
• 27. Hilda L. Solis and Keith Hall, Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (2011).
• 28. Hilda L. Solis and Keith Hall, Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (2011).
• 29. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, "Table 42: Consumer Units of Females by Age of Reference Person: Average Annual Expenditures and Characteristics, 2010-2011" (2012).