Census Shows the Changing Face Of U.S. Households

By Andrew Trotter

Fewer than a fourth of U.S. households are made up of married couples with children under 18—a slight decline from 1990, when just over 25 percent of households were composed of married couples with children, according to figures released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In addition, the proportion of households that are led by single mothers with children of school age or younger has edged up from 6.6 percent in 1990 to 7.2 percent last year, the bureau reported.

The new data from the 2000 U.S. Census show trends that have persisted since 1960 or even earlier, said Campbell Gibson, a senior analyst...