Women’s Living Arrangements at First Birth From 1990 to 2024

Family structures in the United States have shifted significantly over the past three decades, and this report traces how women’s living arrangements at first birth have evolved across education, race, and ethnicity. The findings show rising cohabitation, declining rates of unmarried solo parenting in some groups, and widening socioeconomic differences in marital births. Charts throughout the report—such as the trends on pages 1–3—illustrate how these patterns reflect broader cultural and economic changes shaping modern family formation. These insights offer a clearer picture of how changing norms and opportunities influence the earliest stages of parenthood.