Single-parent families may experience more stress and economic strain than dual-parent households with two incomes. Children in these families can be at risk of poorer health and educational outcomes. However, children may also have opportunities to build resilience and experience a larger community through the support of extended family and friends. Racial and ethnic disparities in rates of single parenthood have several possible causes, including current and historic policies that have placed particular strain on African American families, as well as broader changes in social attitudes about gender roles, marriage and single parenthood.

In 2016-20, the share of single-parent families in the MetroWest region was highest among Black or African American (56%) and Hispanic families (52%). Rates were substantially lower among white (29%) and Asian (18%) families. Because white families make up a larger share of the overall population, however, there was a far higher number of white single-parent families in the region (85,800) compared to African American, Hispanic and Asian single-parent families (15,000, 19,600 and 8,600, respectively). Rates for all racial and ethnic groups increased since 2000, with the largest increase among Hispanic families (6 percentage points).

Compared to MetroWest, Massachusetts had higher shares of single-parent families across all racial and ethnic groups, but especially among Hispanic and African American families (8 and 6 points, respectively, higher for both groups). The national percentage of single-parent families was higher for Asian (2 points), white (5 points) and African American families (10 points), but lower among Hispanic families (10 points).

Among the region's counties, Worcester County had the highest shares of single-parent families among Hispanic (61%) and white (37%) families, while the rate for African American families was highest in Norfolk (58%). Sample sizes for individual communities in the region were too small to report reliably.

Research on family structure points to a variety of explanations about why more children of color are growing up in single parent households. These include high incarceration rates of men of color, economic strain, changing attitudes about marriage and the dismantling of Black families during slavery and its enduring influence on family structure.

The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined 5 years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are released annually in December.

The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.