Percent of Children Living with Parents Who Do Not Have Steady, Year-round Employment

Percent of Children Living with Parents Who Do Not have Full time, Year Round Employment

This indicator seeks to estimate the percent of all children who live with parents who do not have a secure source of income, and therefore are more likely to suffer economic hardship. To be included in the measurement children must reside in single parent household and have a parent who does not work at least 35 hours each week, for at least 50 weeks a year. In order for children residing in two parent households to be included in the sample both parents must not have worked at least 35 hours for 50 weeks the previous years. This indicator is not a good proxy for childhood poverty, as children who are parentless are automatically included in the sample. However, these children might reside in affluent households and therefore have access to economic opportunities that children who have parents who are not securely employed would not have.

The effects of the economic boom of the 1990s are evident when one considers the percentage of children living with parents who do not have full time, year round employment. In 1990 almost a third of all children lived with parents who did not have full time, year round employment, but by 1999 that number had shrunk to barely a quarter of all kids. Surprisingly, children who reside in the great plains and central United States were less likely to live with parents who lack full time, year round employment. On the other hand children growing up in the western United States, as well as the North East of the US were more likely to live with parents who do not have full time, year round employment. Children living in Maryland were least likely to have parents lacking full time, year round employment (only 16%) while children living in West Virginian and Louisiana were most likely to have parents lacking full time, year round employment at 34%.

Data for the indicator was obtained from a study conducted by the Urban Studies Institute at the University of Louisville that analyzed data from the Census Bureau, including the Current Population Survey.