c. 2000 Religion News Service
(UNDATED) Census Bureau statistics shed light on the changing nature of families and family formation:
1998: Total families: 70.8 million
Married couples: 54.3 million
Married couples with at least one child: 25.2 million (36 percent of all families)
Nonfamily households: 31.6 million
1968: Total families: 50 million
Married couples: 43.5 million
Married couples with at least one child: 24.8 million (50 percent of all families)
Nonfamily households: 10.8 million
The U.S. Census Bureau defines families as a group of two or more people who live together and are related by birth, adoption or marriage. It defines nonfamily households as those with people living alone or with others not related to them.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
DEA END RNS