In the United States, 58% of single mothers say they need help covering child care expenses, turning everyday coverage into a daily math problem. At the same time, single mothers are 2.1 times as likely as married mothers to be in low-wage jobs and 1.4 times as likely to lack health insurance. Together these gaps help explain why single-parent households face higher risk across work, stability, and health.
Key Takeaways
- 58% of single mothers in the United States report needing help with child care expenses in a 2021 survey
- Single mothers in the United States are 3.2 times more likely to be working part-time because of childcare responsibilities than married mothers (2022)
- Single mothers' unpaid work time exceeds married mothers by 0.7 hours per day in 2021
- Single mothers are 2.1 times as likely as married mothers to be in low-wage jobs in the United States (2022)
- 38% of single mothers in the United States have a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2022
- Single mothers are 1.4 times as likely as married mothers to lack health insurance in the United States in 2022 (share not insured)
- Single mothers have a 22% higher risk of experiencing psychological distress compared with mothers living with a partner (meta-analysis, 2018)
- 22% of single mothers report housing insecurity (difficulty paying rent or unstable housing) in the United States in 2021
- Single-parent families headed by a single mother experience homelessness at 2.5 times the rate of married-parent families in the United States (2019-2020)
- In the OECD, single-parent families have poverty rates 2.1 times higher than married couple families (OECD, 2023)
- In the United States, 12.8% of households with children were food insecure in 2022
- 38% of single mothers in the United States report using a payment plan or borrowing money to cover basic needs in 2023
- The proportion of births to unmarried mothers was 39.6% in the United States in 2022
- In Canada, 29.6% of births were to unmarried mothers in 2022
Single mothers in the US face major financial, health, and housing strain while shouldering more childcare demands than partnered mothers.
Related reading
01 · Category
Child Care & Work4 stats
01
58% of single mothers in the United States report needing help with child care expenses in a 2021 survey
02
Single mothers in the United States are 3.2 times more likely to be working part-time because of childcare responsibilities than married mothers (2022)
03
Single mothers' unpaid work time exceeds married mothers by 0.7 hours per day in 2021
04
In the United States, 61% of single mothers report being able to switch to different child care arrangements when needed in 2022
Interpretation
Child Care & Work Interpretation
In the Child Care & Work category, single mothers are far more constrained by caregiving demands, with 58% needing help covering childcare expenses and 3.2 times more likely to work part-time than married mothers due to childcare responsibilities.
02 · Category
Health & Education8 stats
01
Single mothers are 2.1 times as likely as married mothers to be in low-wage jobs in the United States (2022)
02
38% of single mothers in the United States have a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2022
03
Single mothers are 1.4 times as likely as married mothers to lack health insurance in the United States in 2022 (share not insured)
04
Single mothers have a higher rate of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) exposure for their children, with 28% above the ACE risk threshold (study, 2020)
05
Children in single-mother households show a 0.2 standard-deviation lower educational attainment than peers in two-parent households (meta-analysis, 2019)
06
Single mothers are 1.6 times more likely to report fair/poor health than partnered mothers (study, 2018)
07
Single mothers are more likely to report having experienced intimate partner violence, with 21% reporting lifetime exposure (NHIS-based study, 2017)
08
In the US, 29% of single mothers reported skipping dental care due to cost in 2022
Interpretation
Health & Education Interpretation
In the Health and Education context, single mothers face a stack of disadvantages, including 1.6 times higher rates of fair or poor health and 38% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, alongside children showing 0.2 standard deviations lower educational attainment than peers in two parent households.
More related reading
04 · Category
Poverty & Income2 stats
01
In the OECD, single-parent families have poverty rates 2.1 times higher than married couple families (OECD, 2023)
02
In the United States, 12.8% of households with children were food insecure in 2022
Interpretation
Poverty & Income Interpretation
In the Poverty and Income category, single-parent families face sharply higher economic hardship, with poverty rates 2.1 times those of married couples in the OECD and with 12.8% of US households with children experiencing food insecurity in 2022.
05 · Category
Market & Trends4 stats
01
38% of single mothers in the United States report using a payment plan or borrowing money to cover basic needs in 2023
02
The proportion of births to unmarried mothers was 39.6% in the United States in 2022
03
In Canada, 29.6% of births were to unmarried mothers in 2022
04
OECD: 28% of children in single-parent households live below the relative poverty line (OECD, 2021)
Interpretation
Market & Trends Interpretation
From a Market & Trends perspective, the steady rise in non-marital births alongside persistent financial strain is clear since 39.6% of births in the US in 2022 were to unmarried mothers and 38% of single mothers reported relying on payment plans or borrowing in 2023, while OECD data shows 28% of children in single parent households live below the relative poverty line.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Single Motherhood Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/single-motherhood-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Single Motherhood Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/single-motherhood-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Single Motherhood Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/single-motherhood-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+8 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)