The Big Myth

Posted by Carol Coletta on February 28, 2009

You know all that talk about today's new Baby Boom?  Think again.  The percentage of American households with children under 18 living at home last year -- 46% hit the lowest point in 50 years.  Last year, about 35.7 million families had children under 18 at home.  The percentage peaked in 1963 when 57% of families had kids at home. 

The economy will likely continue to depress family size.

The U.S. Census Bureau also reports that there are only 5.3 million stay-at-home mothers (even though they periodically get identified as a new "trend" by the press) and only 140,000 such fathers.  Median age for marriage is now 27.4 for men and 25.6 for women.