SIPP 2014 Panel

SIPP

Why Measure Families
with Children?

Families With Children

The children of today are the leaders of
tomorrow. However, they are also the most
vulnerable population group in the country.
Therefore, measuring and staying informed
about the well-being of the nation’s children
is vital to ensuring the future success of the
nation as a whole.
In order for the country to know what is
needed—how folks are doing and where they
need help—we must conduct surveys such as
the Survey of Income and Program Participation
(SIPP) to produce that information.
Because our country is so populous (over
300 million people), we can only survey a
scientific sample of the whole population.
Thus, your answers to this survey represent
thousands of Americans!
Americans work hard everyday, achieving
triumphs and facing struggles. By studying
both our successes and setbacks, we can
help our nation make informed decisions.
By law, all personal information collected for
this study is kept strictly confidential.
Thank you for participating in this survey,
and for helping represent our nation’s most
important asset…

Mission and Purpose
Data from the Survey of Income and Program
Participation (SIPP) are used to evaluate
changes in:

•

Income

•

Movement into and out of
government assistance programs

•

Effects of our changing family and social
situations for individuals and households

For more information, visit SIPP online at:

People Just Like You.

Issued August 2013

U.S. Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

Child Care Costs

Children’s Living Arrangements

Child Well-Being

For households with children, the cost of child
care is substantial.

Children today have increasingly diverse living
arrangements. In 1991, 73 percent of children
under age 18 lived with two parents. Whereas
in 2009, 69 percent of children lived with two
parents. Also, using the same 2009 data,
7.8 million children lived with at least one
grandparent, up from 4.7 million in 1991.

Children living above the poverty level are read
to more often than children living below the
poverty level.

•

In 1985, the average weekly amount spent
on childcare was $84 (in 2011 dollars).

•

By 2011, in comparison, the average weekly
amount was $143.

Using SIPP data from the 2008 Panel, we’ve
learned the following:

Amount in dollars

150

However, over the last 11 years, the gap has
narrowed during the critical development
period between 1 and 2 year olds.
Percentage of 1- and 2-year-olds read to 7 or more times
per week**

56%

60

$143

100

50

Adjusted for inflation

$84

0
1985

•

1991

1998

2005

2011

In 2011, families below the federal poverty
line spent nearly four times more on child
care, as percentage of their income, than
families above the poverty line.*

1%

of children live with other relatives

2%

of children live with one or more
grandparents

3%

of children live with non-relatives,
foster parents, a single step-parent,
or some other living arrangement

3%

of children live with two biological/
adoptive unmarried parents

4%

of children live with a single father
who may or may not have a
partner in the house

7%

30%

Percentage of income spent
on child care for families
below the poverty line.

Percentage of income
spent on child care
for families above
the poverty line.

8%

*Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and
Program Participation, 2013.

of children live with one biological
parent and one stepparent

23%

of children live with a single mother
who may or may not have a
partner in the house

57%

of children live with two biological/
adoptive married parents

45%

40

37%
20
Above poverty level
Below poverty level
0

1998

2009

**Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program
Participation, 1996 and 2008 Panels.