Charted: How American Households Have Changed Over Time (1960-2023)

Dorothy Neufeld
2024-11-06 08:12:00
www.visualcapitalist.com

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How American Households Have Changed Over Time (1960-2023)

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The composition of American households has shifted significantly since 1960 as fewer people have kids and the scale of economic resources has declined.

Today, the number of households without kids exceeds those with kids, a trend that first emerged in 2014. In addition, single-person households have broadly continued to incline, reaching 29% of the total last year. This figure has more than doubled over the past six decades.

This graphic shows the composition of American households over time, based on data from the Census Bureau via USAFacts.

Over Half of Households in the U.S. Don’t Have Kids

Below, we show the makeup of U.S. households from 1960 to 2023 at a time of rising costs, record home prices, and low fertility rates:

Year	Married No Kids	Single No Kids	Married Parents	Single Parents	Other
2023	29.4%	29.0%	17.9%	7.4%	16.3%
2022	29.0%	28.9%	17.8%	8.1%	16.2%
2021	29.5%	28.2%	18.0%	8.1%	16.2%
2020	30.1%	28.2%	18.4%	7.7%	15.6%
2019	29.7%	28.4%	18.5%	7.9%	15.5%
2018	29.3%	28.0%	18.7%	8.3%	15.6%
2017	29.4%	27.9%	18.7%	8.4%	15.5%
2016	29.0%	28.1%	18.9%	8.7%	15.2%
2015	28.9%	28.0%	19.3%	8.8%	15.1%
2014	29.0%	27.7%	19.4%	8.9%	14.9%
2013	28.9%	27.4%	19.5%	9.1%	15.1%
2012	29.1%	27.4%	19.6%	9.3%	14.6%
2011	28.8%	27.5%	20.1%	9.1%	14.4%
2010	28.8%	26.7%	20.9%	9.1%	14.5%
2009	29.0%	27.0%	21.4%	9.0%	13.6%
2008	28.4%	27.5%	21.6%	9.0%	13.5%
2007	28.3%	26.8%	22.5%	9.1%	13.2%
2006	28.1%	26.6%	22.7%	9.2%	13.3%
2005	28.3%	26.6%	22.9%	9.1%	13.2%
2004	28.5%	26.4%	23.0%	9.1%	13.0%
2003	28.2%	26.4%	23.3%	9.0%	13.0%
2002	28.3%	26.3%	23.6%	9.1%	12.7%
2001	28.3%	26.1%	24.0%	8.7%	13.0%
2000	28.7%	25.5%	24.1%	8.9%	12.7%
1999	28.6%	25.6%	24.1%	9.2%	12.5%
1998	28.3%	25.7%	24.6%	9.3%	12.1%
1997	28.2%	25.1%	24.8%	9.5%	12.3%
1996	28.8%	25.0%	25.0%	9.3%	11.9%
1995	28.9%	25.0%	25.5%	9.1%	11.5%
1994	29.0%	24.3%	25.8%	9.2%	11.7%
1993	29.4%	24.4%	25.6%	8.9%	11.6%
1992	29.3%	25.1%	25.5%	8.7%	11.4%
1991	29.4%	25.0%	25.9%	8.5%	11.2%
1990	29.8%	24.6%	26.3%	8.3%	11.0%
1989	29.5%	24.5%	26.6%	8.2%	11.2%
1988	29.7%	24.0%	27.0%	8.0%	11.2%
1987	30.1%	23.6%	27.5%	8.1%	10.7%
1986	29.7%	23.9%	27.8%	8.0%	10.5%
1985	30.1%	23.7%	27.9%	8.0%	10.3%
1984	30.2%	23.4%	28.5%	7.9%	10.0%
1983	30.4%	22.9%	29.0%	7.7%	9.9%
1982	30.1%	23.2%	29.3%	7.8%	9.6%
1981	29.6%	23.0%	30.3%	7.6%	9.5%
1980	29.9%	22.7%	30.9%	7.5%	9.0%
1979	29.9%	22.2%	31.7%	7.6%	8.5%
1978	29.9%	22.0%	32.4%	7.6%	8.2%
1977	30.5%	20.9%	33.6%	7.1%	7.9%
1976	30.4%	20.6%	34.5%	7.0%	7.6%
1975	30.6%	19.6%	35.4%	6.9%	7.5%
1974	30.8%	19.1%	36.2%	6.4%	7.5%
1973	30.6%	18.5%	37.2%	6.1%	7.5%
1972	30.4%	18.3%	38.2%	5.9%	7.2%
1971	30.6%	17.7%	38.7%	5.7%	7.3%
1970	30.3%	17.1%	40.3%	5.2%	7.1%
1969	30.5%	16.7%	40.4%	5.2%	7.3%
1968	30.6%	16.1%	40.9%	5.0%	7.3%
1967	30.6%	15.5%	41.6%	4.9%	7.4%
1966	30.8%	15.6%	41.6%	4.7%	7.4%
1965	30.1%	15.0%	42.5%	4.8%	7.6%
1964	30.1%	13.9%	43.5%	4.7%	7.8%
1963	30.0%	13.6%	44.0%	4.7%	7.8%
1962	30.3%	13.6%	43.4%	4.5%	8.0%
1961	30.1%	13.3%	43.9%	4.4%	8.3%
1960	30.1%	13.1%	44.2%	4.4%	8.1%

Other represents households with unmarried partners, roommates, or adult relatives.

In 1960, the share of U.S. households that consisted of married parents was 44.2%, which has since dropped by half as of 2023.

More Americans today are delaying or forgoing marriage altogether, with just 20% of women and 23% of men aged 25 being married—the lowest on record. Projections indicate that by 2050, one-third of Americans aged 45 may remain unmarried.

Meanwhile, households consisting of single parents or individuals living alone have doubled over this period, coinciding with the U.S. fertility rate falling to a historic low of 1.6 children per woman in 2023, well below the 2.1 replacement level needed for population stability.

Personal preference plays a significant role in changing attitudes toward parenthood. Among Americans under 50 without children, 57% said they simply didn’t want kids, while 44% preferred to focus on other priorities. Financial concerns also weighed heavily, with 36% citing the cost of raising children—three times the rate among childless people over 50.

Last year, just 16% of homes in America were considered affordable as mortgage rates more than doubled since 2021. This represents a sharp decline from 2013, when 50% of homes were affordable—a shift that is likely shaping household dynamics as rising costs influence Americans’ future choices.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic from a global perspective, check out this graphic on the countries with the lowest fertility rates in the world.

The post Charted: How American Households Have Changed Over Time (1960-2023) appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

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