Americas Families And Living Arrangements 2003

The decades-long decline in the proportion of family groups with children that were married-couple families leveled off during the mid-1990s, at about 68% from 1996 to 2003. This change reflects declining divorce rates and reduced non-marital fertility, especially among teens. Between 1970 and 1996, the median age at first marriage also increased but since 1996 has been fairly stable for both men and women. Basic trends in household and family composition, living arrangements and marital status of adults, and characteristics of unmarried-couple households are presented in this report. A new section is included that highlights married-couple families with a stay-at-home parent. The data are from the Census Bureau¿s Annual Social and Economic Supp. Ill.