Different Types of Families: A Portrait Gallery

Nuclear Families

• Approximately half of all families with youngsters under age 18 are composed of two biological parents and their children.

Single-Parent Families

• Single-parent families make up 27 percent of households with children under age 18.

Cross-Generational Families

• Approximately 670,000 families with children under age 18 have a family member age 65 or older living with them.
• Roughly 2.5 million children under age 18 live with one or both parents in their grandparents’ home.

Adoptive/Foster Families

• Approximately 120,000 children are adopted each year.
• 6.3 children per 1,000 live in out-of-home foster care.

Never-Married Families

• About 1.5 million unmarried couples have at least one child under age 15.

Blended Families

• About 20 percent of children in two-parent households live in blended families.

Grandparents as Parents

• Approximately 1.3 million children under age 18 live with their grandparents.

Same-Sex Parent Families

• Some 2 million children have parents who are gay, lesbian or bisexual.