Why This Indicator Matters
One way of understanding the economic health of American families is to observe the total income of the family in the middle of the distribution, otherwise known as median family income. Across the nation in 2021, the median income of families with children was $82,767 (U.S. Census Bureau 2021). Median family income also varies dramatically by family structure, as married couple families with children tend to have higher median income than their single-parent counterparts. Indeed, median family income of married-couple families with children was about $101,560 in 2021, whereas their single-father counterparts had median total family income of $50,942 and single-mother counterparts had just $32,586 (U.S. Census Bureau 2021).
New Hampshire families tended to do better than the national average in terms of median family income across 2017-2021 (5-year estimate), though the patterns across family structure categories remain roughly the same. In New Hampshire, the median family income for families with children was $108,126 in 2021, well above the national median income for families with children cited above ($82,767). Likewise, families headed by married parents had a median income of $132,807, single-father families had a median of $62,054, and single-mother families had a median of $39,964.
Importantly, however, these median incomes for single-parent families are below estimates of required income from MIT’s Living Wage Calculator. A New Hampshire family composed of a parent and child would need approximately $70,533 in order to meet their basic needs for housing, food, child care, medical expenses, transportation, etc. This means that more than half of single-parent families in New Hampshire do not have the required income necessary to meet only these vital needs.
Reference:
U.S. Census Bureau (2021). American Community Survey, Table S1903, 2021 5-Year Estimate.
