7/8 Married-Family Deserts Top 10 Largest
The Top 10 Largest Married-Family Deserts are in:
Manhattan-Bronx (NY)
Mississippi (LA, MS, AR, TN)
Philadelphia (PA-NJ)
Chicago-Gary (IL-IN)
Atlanta (GA)
Los Angeles (CA)
Brooklyn (NY)
Cleveland (OH)
Baltimore (MD)
Detroit (MI)
A married-family desert, is in those PUMAs (Public Use Microdata Areas) in which the share of households with children that are headed by a married couple falls below 52%. In these areas, children are less likely to be raised in households headed by married parents and less likely to be surrounded by peers growing up in married-couple families—conditions associated with lower levels of relational security at both the household and neighborhood level.
The table below ranks the Top 10 grouped, contiguous PUMAs with the lowest shares of households with children headed by a married couple. These marriage deserts are the “largest” by number of households.
Across these grouped married-family deserts, the PUMA-level share of households with children headed by a married couple ranges from 18% to 52%. Thus, married-family shares in these grouped deserts are generally higher than those observed in the individual-PUMA, or extreme, Top 10 married-family deserts.
America’s largest married-family desert is across Manhattan and the Bronx, NY.
Of the 178,144 households with children, the share headed by a married couple is at the minimum 31% and the maximum share is 51%.
America’s second largest married-family desert covers a large geography across Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Of the 155,492 households with children, the share headed by a married couple is at the minimum 27% and the maximum share is 52%.
America’s third largest married-family desert is in Philadelphia, PA.
Of the 138,295 households with children, the share headed by a married couple is at the minimum 28% and the maximum share is 51%.
America’s fourth largest married-family desert is in Chicago and Gary, IL.
Of the 117,540 households with children, the share headed by a married couple is at the minimum 24% and the maximum share is 50%.
America’s fifth largest married-family desert is in Atlanta, GA.
Of the 99,093 households with children, the share headed by a married couple is at the minimum 24% and the maximum share is 47%.
America’s sixth largest married-family desert is in Los Angeles, CA.
Of the 76,999 households with children, the share headed by a married couple is at the minimum 46% and the maximum share is 52%.
America’s seventh largest married-family desert is in Brooklyn, NY.
Of the 76,805 households with children, the share headed by a married couple is at the minimum 28% and the maximum share is 48%.
America’s eighth largest married-family desert is in Cleveland, OH.*
Of the 71,423 households with children, the share headed by a married couple is at the minimum 18% and the maximum share is 45%.
America’s ninth largest married-family desert is in Baltimore, MD.
Of the 64,020 households with children, the share headed by a married couple is at the minimum 35% and the maximum share is 50%.
America’s tenth largest married-family desert is in Detroit, MI.
Of the 59,715 households with children, the share headed by a married couple is at the minimum 23% and the maximum share is 41%.
Full report and maps published by the Institute for Family Studies: https://ifstudies.org/report-brief/marriage-deserts-mapping-americas-family-divide
*“In a small number of metro areas (e.g., Cleveland), grouped PUMAs may not meet on land due to Census boundary definitions. For the full methodology click here.
