In Iowa, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty by

88 Percent
The rapid rise in out-of-wedlock PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN
child bearing is a major cause of THAT ARE POOR
high levels of child poverty in
40%
Iowa. 37.2%
Some 37.2 percent of single 35%
mothers children were poor in
2008 compared to 4.3 percent of 30%
married couples with children.
Single-parent families with 25%
children are more than eight times
more likely to be poor than 20%
families in which the parents are
married.
15%
The higher poverty rate among
single-mother families is due both 10%
to the lower education levels of
the mothers and the lower income 4.3%
5%
due to the absence of the father.
0%
Single Parent, Married,Two-Parent
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Female-Headed Families
Community Survey, 2006–2008 data. Families

Marriage and Poverty in the U.S. heritage.org