THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 10, 1995 TAG: 9501100327
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Thirty percent of all American families - and 63 percent of the nation's black families - are headed by single parents, a Census Bureau report said Monday.
The Albany, Ga., area - population 112,500, 46 percent black - had the highest percentage of single-parent households. New York City ranked second.
The single-parent statistics include mothers and fathers who are divorced, widowed or never married, and represent all income groups. But the majority - about 80 percent - were families led by women, and single families as a group have lower income than two-parent families. The last census, in 1990, found more than 7 million single-parent families.
For states and cities, a high percentage of single-parent families adds to the amount of money spent on welfare programs.
In an average month, 45 percent of the nation's families headed by a single woman receive some type of major assistance such as food stamps, Medicaid, rent assistance or a check from Aid to Families with Dependent Children, according to 1988 census figures.
Among Albany's families that have children under 18 living in their own homes - as opposed to living with relatives or roommates - 37.3 percent are headed by single parents, the report said.
In New York City's metropolitan area, the figure is 35.9 percent, followed by Flint, Mich., with 35.3 percent; Jersey City, N.J., 34.3 percent; and New Orleans, 33.6 percent.
KEYWORDS: CENSUS SINGLE-PARENT STATISTICS by CNB