States with the biggest family
Today, the “average” American family means an entirely different thing than it did fifty years or a century ago. In the mid-1940s, Pew Research found nearly half of Americans considered a family with four children as the ideal size. But a significant cultural shift in 1971 saw that figure decline rapidly as the two-child family took its place as the new most popular structure at an alarmingly similar rate. This change coincided with larger trends around increasing accessibility of birth control pills, growing female employment in the workforce, and changing child labor standards coupled with increasing cost of providing for children. In 2016, the average American family size hit 3.24, a far cry from 19th-century households that may have had eight or nine children.
To provide some perspective on what really constitutes the classic American family, Stacker used data from the U.S. Census to rank all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico by average family size. The figures come from the 2016 American Community Survey five-year estimates, with Census defining a family as a householder and at least one other person living in the same home who are related by birth, marriage or adoption.
#52. Maine
Average family size: 2.87
Percent above/below national average: -11.42%
Total number of families: 345,631
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 37.83%
#51. Vermont
Average family size: 2.88
Percent above/below national average: -11.11%
Total number of families: 158,252
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 39.60%
#50. North Dakota
Average family size: 2.95
Percent above/below national average: -8.95%
Total number of families: 183,466
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.78%
#49. New Hampshire
Average family size: 2.96
Percent above/below national average: -8.64%
Total number of families: 346,476
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 39.84%
#48. Iowa
Average family size: 2.98
Percent above/below national average: -8.02%
Total number of families: 798,664
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.72%
#46 (tie). West Virginia
Average family size: 3.00
Percent above/below national average: -7.41%
Total number of families: 478,833
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 36.74%
#46 (tie). Wisconsin
Average family size: 3.00
Percent above/below national average: -7.41%
Total number of families: 1,471,314
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 42.55%
#45. Montana
Average family size: 3.01
Percent above/below national average: -7.10%
Total number of families: 256,737
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 40.27%
#44. South Dakota
Average family size: 3.04
Percent above/below national average: -6.17%
Total number of families: 213,665
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.52%
#42 (tie). Kentucky
Average family size: 3.05
Percent above/below national average: -5.86%
Total number of families: 1,136,651
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 41.55%
#42 (tie). Ohio
Average family size: 3.05
Percent above/below national average: -5.86%
Total number of families: 2,940,153
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 42.10%
#39 (tie). Minnesota
Average family size: 3.06
Percent above/below national average: -5.56%
Total number of families: 1,380,760
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 44.83%
#39 (tie). Nebraska
Average family size: 3.06
Percent above/below national average: -5.56%
Total number of families: 478,683
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 45.37%
#39 (tie). Wyoming
Average family size: 3.06
Percent above/below national average: -5.56%
Total number of families: 147,961
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.33%
#37 (tie). Missouri
Average family size: 3.07
Percent above/below national average: -5.25%
Total number of families: 1,529,363
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 42.27%
#37 (tie). Oregon
Average family size: 3.07
Percent above/below national average: -5.25%
Total number of families: 979,610
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 41.76%
#34 (tie). Michigan
Average family size: 3.10
Percent above/below national average: -4.32%
Total number of families: 2,498,193
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 41.44%
#34 (tie). Pennsylvania
Average family size: 3.10
Percent above/below national average: -4.32%
Total number of families: 3,195,577
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 39.82%
#34 (tie). Rhode Island
Average family size: 3.10
Percent above/below national average: -4.32%
Total number of families: 256,464
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 41.86%
#32 (tie). Arkansas
Average family size: 3.11
Percent above/below national average: -4.01%
Total number of families: 757,729
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 41.55%
#32 (tie). Tennessee
Average family size: 3.11
Percent above/below national average: -4.01%
Total number of families: 1,674,753
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 41.07%
#30 (tie). Kansas
Average family size: 3.12
Percent above/below national average: -3.70%
Total number of families: 729,881
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 45.21%
#30 (tie). North Carolina
Average family size: 3.12
Percent above/below national average: -3.70%
Total number of families: 2,515,338
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 42.79%
#27 (tie) . Colorado
Average family size: 3.13
Percent above/below national average: -3.40%
Total number of families: 1,318,973
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 45.42%
#27 (tie) . Indiana
Average family size: 3.13
Percent above/below national average: -3.40%
Total number of families: 1,654,898
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.47%
#27 (tie) . South Carolina
Average family size: 3.13
Percent above/below national average: -3.40%
Total number of families: 1,220,791
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 39.78%
#26. Washington
Average family size: 3.14
Percent above/below national average: -3.09%
Total number of families: 1,738,213
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.71%
#25. Massachusetts
Average family size: 3.15
Percent above/below national average: -2.78%
Total number of families: 1,627,194
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.17%
#22 (tie). Alabama
Average family size: 3.16
Percent above/below national average: -2.47%
Total number of families: 1,232,880
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 40.14%
#22 (tie). Connecticut
Average family size: 3.16
Percent above/below national average: -2.47%
Total number of families: 894,413
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 42.87%
#22 (tie). Oklahoma
Average family size: 3.16
Percent above/below national average: -2.47%
Total number of families: 967,783
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.61%
#20 (tie). Delaware
Average family size: 3.17
Percent above/below national average: -2.16%
Total number of families: 232,569
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 38.75%
#20 (tie). Virginia
Average family size: 3.17
Percent above/below national average: -2.16%
Total number of families: 2,067,943
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.56%
#19. Washington, D.C.
Average family size: 3.19
Percent above/below national average: -1.54%
Total number of families: 121,101
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.27%
#18. Mississippi
Average family size: 3.23
Percent above/below national average: -0.31%
Total number of families: 746,858
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 41.89%
#17. Idaho
Average family size: 3.24
Percent above/below national average: 0.00%
Total number of families: 408,281
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 44.60%
#15 (tie). Louisiana
Average family size: 3.26
Percent above/below national average: 0.62%
Total number of families: 1,122,841
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.03%
#15 (tie). Maryland
Average family size: 3.26
Percent above/below national average: 0.62%
Total number of families: 1,455,962
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 43.69%
#13 (tie). Florida
Average family size: 3.27
Percent above/below national average: 0.93%
Total number of families: 4,759,855
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 37.81%
#13 (tie). Illinois
Average family size: 3.27
Percent above/below national average: 0.93%
Total number of families: 3,122,597
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 44.14%
#12. Arizona
Average family size: 3.30
Percent above/below national average: 1.85%
Total number of families: 1,602,188
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 42.27%
#10 (tie). New Jersey
Average family size: 3.31
Percent above/below national average: 2.16%
Total number of families: 2,213,123
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 44.51%
#10 (tie). New York
Average family size: 3.31
Percent above/below national average: 2.16%
Total number of families: 4,611,982
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 42.81%
#9. Georgia
Average family size: 3.33
Percent above/below national average: 2.78%
Total number of families: 2,443,757
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 45.29%
#7 (tie). Nevada
Average family size: 3.36
Percent above/below national average: 3.70%
Total number of families: 658,692
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 44.11%
#7 (tie). New Mexico
Average family size: 3.36
Percent above/below national average: 3.70%
Total number of families: 490,155
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 42.35%
#6. Alaska
Average family size: 3.42
Percent above/below national average: 5.56%
Total number of families: 166,629
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 47.84%
#5. Puerto Rico
Average family size: 3.43
Percent above/below national average: 5.86%
Total number of families: 867,816
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 38.17%
#4. Texas
Average family size: 3.44
Percent above/below national average: 6.17%
Total number of families: 6,450,049
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 47.87%
#3. California
Average family size: 3.54
Percent above/below national average: 9.26%
Total number of families: 8,800,019
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 45.83%
#2. Hawaii
Average family size: 3.60
Percent above/below national average: 11.11%
Total number of families: 314,721
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 38.37%
#1. Utah
Average family size: 3.65
Percent above/below national average: 12.65%
Total number of families: 690,208
Percent of families with children younger than 18 years old: 51.28%
