28% Live Close to All or Most Extended Family

Imagine living within an hour's drive of your entire extended family—meaning "children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and in-laws." A substantial 28 percent of Americans aged 18 or older do live that close to "all or most" of their extended family, according to a Pew Research Center survey. This group, in fact, outnumbers all the others...

How many extended family members live within an hour's drive?

28%: all or most

27%: some 

24%: only a few

20%: none

The share of Americans who live near all or most of their extended family varies by demographic characteristic. By race and Hispanic origin, Blacks (31 percent) and Hispanics (31 percent) are most likely to live close to family, followed by non-Hispanic whites (29 percent). Asians (18 percent) are least likely to live close to family. In fact, fully 33 percent of Asians say none of their extended family is within an hour's drive.

The chances of living near all or most extended family is increasingly rare with rising education. Among adults with no more than a high school diploma, 34 percent say they are within an hour's drive of all or most of their extended family. Among those with a graduate degree, the figure is just 16 percent. Fully 32 percent of those with a graduate degree say none of their extended family is nearby. 

By region, living within an hour's drive to all or most extended family is most common among residents of the Midwest (33 percent) and Northeast (32 percent), followed by the South (28 percent). It is least common in the West (22 percent). 

Source: Pew Research Center, More than Half of Americans Live within an Hour of Extended Family

Many Americans Report Drug Problems in Family

Drug use is a common family problem. Nearly one-third of Americans (32 percent) report having had a drug problem in their family, according to a Gallup survey. This figure is up from 23 percent who reported family issues with drugs in the early 2000s. 

The percentage who report having had a drug problem in their family has grown in every demographic segment over the past two decades. One of the biggest increases occurred in small towns and rural areas. In the early 2000s, only 17 percent of residents in small towns/rural areas reported having had a drug problem in their family. By 2018–21, fully 28 percent of rural residents reported a family drug problem—an 11 percentage point increase. Consequently, urban and rural residents are now about equally likely to report a drug problem in their family. 

Percent who say drug abuse has been a cause of trouble in their family 

(and percentage point change, 2000–05 to 2018–21)

City residents: 29% (+5)

Suburban residents: 32% (+8)

Small town/rural residents: 28% (+11)

Source: Gallup, Drugs Have Been a Problem in Family for 32% of Americans

Family Unemployment Doubled between 2019 and 2020

Every year the Bureau of Labor Statistics issues a report on the employment characteristics of families. The most recent report, with annual averages for 2020, compares family employment during the coronavirus pandemic with the 2019 numbers. The data come from the Current Population Survey, which defines families as two or more people who live together and are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. 

The share of families with at least one unemployed member doubled between 2019 and 2020—rising from 4.9 to 9.8 percent—as the pandemic upended the job market. Hispanic families were most likely to have a family member unemployed in 2020 (14.3 percent), while white families were least likely (9.0 percent)...

Families with at least one family member unemployed in 2020 (and 2019)

Total families: 9.8% (4.9%)

Asian families: 10.9% (4.0%)

Black families: 13.4% (8.0%)

Hispanic families: 14.3% (6.6%)

White families: 9.0% (4.5%)

Note: The Bureau of Labor Statistics has long refused to distinguish non-Hispanic whites from the total white population in its data releases. Consequently, the white statistics shown here also include Hispanics who identify their race as white, which most do. It is likely that unemployment in families headed by non-Hispanic whites is even lower than the white data presented above. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Characteristics of Families—2020

Giving Money to Adult Children, Aging Parents

Many midlife adults have it tough. Some are the parents of adult children who are not yet financially independent. Others have aging parents who are struggling to make ends meet in retirement. To help out, millions of midlife adults are giving them money.

AARP recently took the measure of these millions, surveying people aged 40 to 64 with living parents and/or adult children aged 25 or older. Respondents were asked, "Have you given any financial support to your [parents/adult children] in the past 12 months?" Here's how many had...

Percent of adults aged 40 to 64 who have provided financial support in the past 12 months to...
Parents: 32%
Adult children: 51%

The support is substantial, too. Among those who gave money to a parent in the past year, 54 percent had given $1,000 or more and 20 percent $5,000 or more. The figures are similar for those who gave money to adult children—56 percent gave $1,000 or more and 25 percent gave $5,000 or more.

Is it a financial strain to provide this support? For many, not so much. Among those helping parents, 43 percent say it is little or no strain. For those helping adult children, 47 percent say the same. But a substantial 28 to 29 percent of those providing financial support say it is causing them high financial strain.

Source: AARP, Midlife Adults Providing Financial Support to Family Members

Most Americans Frequently Socialize with Relatives

More than one-third of Americans aged 18 or older spend a social evening with relatives at least once a week, and 75 percent socialize with relatives at least monthly, according to the 2016 General Social Survey. Millennials are most likely to socialize with their relatives frequently...

Percentage who spend a social evening with relatives at least once a month (or week)
Total, 18-plus: 75% (39%)
Millennials: 80% (43%)
Gen Xers: 72% (38%)
Boomers: 71% (34%)
Older: 69% (31%)

Note: In 2016, Millennials were aged 22 to 39; Generation Xers were aged 40 to 51; Baby Boomers were aged 52 to 70; Older Americans were aged 71 or older.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2016 General Social Survey

16% of Americans Provide Financial Support

A substantial 16 percent of Americans aged 18 or older provide financial support to people in other households, according to the Federal Reserve Board's 5th annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking. Another 10 percent receive financial support. Here are the percentages by age...

Provided financial support to people in other households in 2017
Aged 18 to 29: 10%
Aged 30 to 39: 12%
Aged 40 to 49: 20%
Aged 50 to 59: 23%
Aged 60-plus: 16%

Received financial support from people in other households in 2017
Aged 18 to 29: 24%
Aged 30 to 39: 12%
Aged 40 to 49: 8%
Aged 50 to 59: 4%
Aged 60-plus: 4%

Most of the exchange is between parents and children. "Parents were among the providers for just over 6 in 10 support recipients, including 8 in 10 of those under age 30," according to the report. "Additionally, adult children are support providers for over half of people over age 60 who are receiving some assistance." Among those aged 18 to 29 who received support, one-third were getting help with educational expenses or student loan payments.

Source: Federal Reserve Board, Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2017

Who Can Count On Family for Financial Help?

Many Millennials would have a lot of trouble paying an unexpected bill of $1,000, according to a GenForward Survey, which defines Millennials as 18-to-34-year-olds. The bimonthly survey is a project of the University of Chicago and administered by NORC. The survey's purpose is to examine "how race and ethnicity influence how young adults or Millennials experience and think about the world."

Percent saying they would have a lot of difficulty paying an unexpected $1,000 bill
Asians: 28%
Blacks: 50%
Hispanics: 43%
Non-Hispanic Whites: 35%

One factor that would make it difficult for many to pay an unexpected bill is the lack of family resources. When asked whether they could turn to their family for help in paying an unexpected $1,000 bill, the percentage who say yes ranges from a low of 38 percent among Blacks to a high of 64 percent among Asians...

Percent saying they could turn to family for help paying an unexpected $1,000 bill
Asians: 64%
Blacks: 38%
Hispanics: 54%
Non-Hispanic Whites: 56%

Asians also are most likely to say their family could help with a down payment for a new car (51 percent) or house (49 percent). They are also most likely to say their family could help them with college tuition or paying off student loans (58 percent).

Source: GenForward University of Chicago: June 2017 Report

Financial Stability, Upward Mobility, Depend on Family Help

In a pinch, families come to the rescue. In the past year, 26 percent of American households provided financial assistance to family (or friends) who needed help with day-to-day expenses, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts study. Analyzing data from its Survey of American Family Finances, Pew reports that the helping households provided a median of $1,000 in assistance.

Some families do much more, providing their adult children with what Pew call "mobility-enhancing" funds: money for higher education and homeownership. According to Pew's analysis of the 2013 Panel Study of Income Dynamics, 10 percent of adult children received financial help from their parents for home purchasing, and 31 percent received funds for higher education. Of course the wealthiest families are most likely to provide these funds. Among adults raised in the wealthiest one-third of families, 52 percent received money from their parents for higher education and 61 percent received money for home purchasing. Among those in the least wealthy one-third, the comparable figures are just 14 and 6 percent.

"The safety net provided to households by friends and relatives," says Pew, "is a hidden dimension of the financial system and one that may reinforce existing advantages and disadvantages in family finances."

Source: The Pew Charitable Trusts, Extended Family Support and Household Balance Sheets 

Children with Stay-at-Home Moms

Among the nation's children under age 15, only 20 percent live the Leave it to Beaver lifestyle—two parents, married, and a mother who does not work because she is caring for the family.

Source: Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements: 2014, Children

1 Million Fewer Families with Preschoolers

The number of families with preschoolers has dropped by more than 1 million over the past six years, according to Census Bureau data on families. Blame the ongoing baby bust for the disappearance of infants and toddlers.

The number of births peaked in 2007 and has been falling since then. The number of families with children under age 6 fell from 16.3 million in 2007 to 15.0 million in 2013.

Source: Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements

Why Everyone Needs Health Insurance

A new report shows just how big a problem the lack of health insurance turns out to be. Not only are the uninsured at risk of financial ruin, but so are their families. 

In 2012, more than one in four (27 percent) American families experienced a financial burden from medical care. "The family perspective is important to consider when examining financial risk because significant expenses for one family member may adversely affect the whole family," explains the National Center for Health Statistics in Financial Burden of Medical Care: A Family Perspective. "Health insurance coverage is one way for a family to mitigate financial risk associated with health care costs."

Among families in which all members have health insurance, 21 percent experienced the financial burden of medical care in the past year. Among families in which some are insured and some are not, fully 46 percent had a problem paying for medical care—meaning they had difficulty paying a medical bill, they currently have medical bills being paid over time, or they currently have medical bills they can't pay at all.

Frequency of Family Dinners

Among Americans who live with at least one other family member, 86 percent say they sit down together for a family dinner at least once a week. The 58 percent majority do so at least four nights a week. By generation, the proportion of families who have dinner together at least four times a week looks like this…

Millennials: 52%
Gen Xers: 50%
Boomers: 62%
Older: 81%

Most Americans believe their family today has fewer family dinners than they did when they were growing up, with 55 to 60 percent of each generation feeling that way.

Source: Harris Interactive, Are Americans Still Serving Up Family Dinners?

Multigenerational Households: 2012

Among the nation's 81 million family households in 2012, only 3.7 million (or 4.6 percent) were multigenerational—defined as three generations of relatives living in one home. Most multigenerational families (64 percent of the total) are householders who live with a child and grandchild.

Minorities account for the majority of multigenerational family households. Here is the distribution of multigenerational households by race (alone) and Hispanic origin...

Asian: 7%
Black: 21%
Hispanic: 26%
Non-Hispanic white: 44%

Among both blacks and Hispanics, 8 percent of families are multigenerational. Among Asians the figure is 6 percent, and among non-Hispanic whites 3 percent.

Source: Census Bureau, America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2012

Economic Status of Children

Percent distribution of children under age 18 by family income in 2011...

Less than $25,000: 23.1%
$25,000 to $49,999: 22.6%
$49,999 to $74,999: 17.1%
$75,000 to $99,999: 12.4%
$100,000 or more: 24.9%

Source: Census Bureau, America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2012