Poverty More Likely for Single Mothers in Rural America

(WASHINGTON, DC) Rural parents often face challenges that may put their children at risk of being poor. That risk is greatest among single-parent families, particularly those headed by a female. Data from the Economic Research Service (ERS) shows that among family types, single parents are less likely to have an education beyond high school and are more likely to be without employment or to work in a job that is not secure. In 2016, rural female-headed families with no spouse present made up 26 percent of all rural families with children and 60 percent of all rural families with children that were poor. The poverty rate for rural female-headed families was 46 percent, compared with about 23 percent for rural male-headed (no spouse) families and 9 percent for rural married-couple families with children. These rates were nearly unchanged from 2007, indicating the persistently high likelihood of remaining in poverty for rural children in single-parent families.