U.S. Economy not Friendly to Children

A new U.S. Census Bureau report released today shows that the number of households with children under 18 who had at least one unemployed parent rose by 33 percent, from 2.4 million to 3.2 million, between 2005 and 2011. In some states, the rise was much sharper.

The statistics come from America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2012 [PDF], a report using data from the American Community Survey and Current Population Survey. The report provides an updated picture of the composition and living arrangements of families and households in the U.S. The report covers specific topics such as same-sex couple households, young adults living in their parents' home and multigenerational households.

"During the recession, economic well-being worsened for families with children," said Jamie Lewis, a demographer in the Census Bureau's Fertility and Family Statistics Branch and one of the report's co-authors. "Home ownership among families declined, while food stamp receipt and parental unemployment increased. Even after the recession officially ended in 2009, these measures remained worse than before it began."