Asset Poverty by Family Structure

Definition

Ratio of the asset poverty rate of one-parent households to two-parent households, 2010.

Calculated by dividing the higher value by the lower value, i.e., one-parent households divided by two-parent households.

A ratio of 1 indicates perfect equality; the higher the ratio, the greater the inequality. For example, the asset poverty rate for single-parent households in New Jersey is four times higher than for two-parent households.

Data are point estimates produced from a national survey with relatively small samples for some states, which can result in imprecise estimates and ranks. States are not ranked on this measure due to insufficient data at the state level. For more information on how we measured precision and to download margin of error data for each state, see here.

Description

This measure describes the disparity in asset poverty between single-parent and two-parent households. Nationally, single-parent households are 2.2 times more likely to be asset poor than two-parent households, not only because the resources of two individuals combined are greater than the resources of one individual alone, but also because two-parent households enjoy economic benefits that make it easier to build wealth. For example, the ability to share certain resources – like housing, utility expenses and health insurance – create economies of scale that are not available to single-parent households.

For more information on wealth disparities by family structure, see the work of Mariko Lin Chang.

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Asset Poverty by Family Structure

Source

Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 Panel, Wave 7. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2010. Data calculated by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute.

"—" indicates that no data is available, or data is suppressed due to a margin of error that is greater than 50% of the estimate.