Blended Family Statistics

Current estimates suggest:

60% of all remarriages eventually end in legal divorce. Untold others will experience emotional divorce and unsatisfying relationships.
About 75% of divorced persons eventually remarry.

About 43% of all marriages are remarriages for at least one of the adults.

About 65% of remarriages involve children from the prior marriage and form blended families.

Information from the most recent Vital Statistics Report  shows:

Of American children under 18 years of age:

52.1% live with two parents26.3% live with only their biological mother 5.4% live with only their biological father 3.0% live with other relatives 1.2% live with non-relatives 

There are no recent estimates on the percentage of children residing in blended families.
These statistics underestimate the number of U.S. blended families, because...

To date, government reporting of population figures indicate families in which the child resides. So if the child lives with a divorced, single parent and the other nonresident parent has remarried, the child is not included in the calculations as being a member of a  blended family.

Estimates suggest that many children living in a "single parent household" (as designated by the Census Bureau) are actually living with two adults. Thus, their best estimates indicate that about 25% of current blended families are actually cohabiting couples.

They show that if only children residing in legally married blended families are included, 23% of children would be designated as living in a stepfamily.

When children are included who live with a cohabiting parent, the figure rises dramatically.

They suggest that 2/3rds of all women, and 37% of all children, are likely to spend some time in a stepfamily, using the more liberal definition that includes cohabiting adult couples.

Other information

One of three Americans is now a stepparent, a stepchild, a stepsibling, or some other member of a blended family
More than half of Americans today have been, are now or will eventually be in one or more step situations during their lives
The most common stepfamilies where children reside are stepfather families or combined stepfather-stepmother families. In this latter case, his children from the prior marriage typically do not reside in the blended family
By 2010 blended families are projected be the predominant family form in the U.S.

For more info call:
(800) 946-8112


Did you know?

There is a pattern of success for blended families.
Putting your marriage first is essential for blended family success.
The biological parent should do most of the disciplining at first.
It's OK to feel differently about your own children than you do about your stepchildren.
We can help you create the happy marriage and family situation that you really want.

Courtesy: www.winningstepfamilies.com