Adoptive Single Parents and Their Children: 2000

Rose Kreider, U.S. Census Bureau

Using Census 2000 sample data, this paper provides the first available national comparison of single and married adoptive parents and their children. The literature shows adoptive families are generally better off than those of other children. This paper compares single and married adoptive householders, as well as the adopted children living with single, compared with married parents. Thirdly, I will compare single adoptive parents with single biological parents in order to see if the adoptive families are better off in terms of household income, the education and employment status of the householder, and tenure. Median household income for single adoptive parents is about $3,900 higher than for non-adoptive biological parents. This masks diversity among adoptive families, which I will subdivide. I will use regression models to predict logged household income, to calculate the predicted household income of single biological parents if they had the same characteristics as single adoptive parents.