Where Are Single-Income Families Most Common?
Key Takeaways
- Utah has the highest share of single-income families in the country at 36.7%, followed by Alaska at 35.5%.
- Nationwide, 28.2% of married couples with children have just one spouse in the labor force.
- Washington, D.C., has the lowest share at 17.1%, less than half the rate seen in Utah.
Nearly three in 10 married-couple families with children in the U.S. have only one spouse in the labor force, but the share varies considerably by state.
This map compares all 50 states and Washington, D.C., using the latest U.S. Census Bureau data. For consistent comparisons across states, the analysis focuses on opposite-sex married couples.
The West Leads the Ranking
Seven of the top 10 states are in the West. Utah leads at 36.7%, followed by Alaska at 35.5% and New Mexico at 35.1%.
| Rank | State | Share of Single-Income Families |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | 36.7% |
| 2 | Alaska | 35.5% |
| 3 | New Mexico | 35.1% |
| 4 | Idaho | 34.2% |
| 5 | Arizona | 33.7% |
| 6 | Texas | 33.4% |
| 7 | Arkansas | 31.7% |
| 7 | Washington | 31.7% |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 31.5% |
| 10 | California | 31.4% |
| 11 | Nevada | 31.3% |
| 12 | Alabama | 30.6% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 30.5% |
| 14 | Tennessee | 30.4% |
| 15 | South Carolina | 30.1% |
| 16 | Hawaii | 29.1% |
| 16 | Kentucky | 29.1% |
| 18 | Georgia | 29.0% |
| 19 | Florida | 28.8% |
| 20 | Oregon | 28.3% |
| 20 | West Virginia | 28.3% |
| 22 | Michigan | 27.9% |
| 23 | Indiana | 27.4% |
| 24 | Louisiana | 27.3% |
| 25 | New York | 26.9% |
| 26 | Colorado | 26.3% |
| 26 | Mississippi | 26.3% |
| 28 | Virginia | 26.2% |
| 29 | Montana | 26.1% |
| 30 | Ohio | 25.9% |
| 31 | Kansas | 25.3% |
| 31 | Wyoming | 25.3% |
| 33 | Illinois | 25.2% |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | 25.0% |
| 35 | Missouri | 24.8% |
| 36 | Maine | 24.6% |
| 37 | New Jersey | 24.4% |
| 38 | North Dakota | 23.3% |
| 39 | Connecticut | 23.1% |
| 40 | Maryland | 22.4% |
| 41 | New Hampshire | 21.7% |
| 42 | Delaware | 21.6% |
| 43 | Nebraska | 21.5% |
| 44 | Iowa | 21.4% |
| 45 | Wisconsin | 21.2% |
| 46 | Massachusetts | 20.7% |
| 47 | South Dakota | 19.8% |
| 47 | Rhode Island | 19.8% |
| 49 | Vermont | 18.6% |
| 50 | Minnesota | 18.1% |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 17.1% |
| -- | U.S. Average | 28.2% |
The pattern crosses both high- and low-cost states. California and Washington both rank in the top 10, with more than 31% of married couples with children having just one spouse in the labor force. Meanwhile, Minnesota and Vermont have some of the lowest shares in the country.
A family’s decision to rely on one working parent can reflect a mix of factors, including affordability, childcare costs, household income, and local labor market conditions.
Younger Children Make a Big Difference
One-income families are considerably more common when children are young.
Among married couples with children under age six, 35.3% had only one parent employed in 2024. The share fell to 27.8% among families with children ages 6 to 17 and no younger children.
This difference coincides with the years when childcare costs can represent a major household expense. Full-day care for one child can cost roughly $6,500 to $15,600 per year, depending on the child’s age, provider, and location.
Where Moms Are More Likely to Be the Sole Earner
States also differ in what their one-income families look like.
In Washington, D.C., mothers are the working spouse in about 26% of single-income married-couple families, compared with 23% in South Dakota and about 20% in New York.
Utah sits at the other extreme, with mothers serving as the working spouse in just 8% of its one-income families. Put another way, a one-income family in D.C. is more than three times as likely to have the mother as the earner as one in Utah.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the income a family needs to live comfortably in major U.S. cities.