Sociology of the Family

Quantitative
One of the best known sources for gathering both
historical and contemporary data on families is the
national census survey. In the United States, the national
census occurs in every household every 10 years. There
are smaller surveys taken in between called
the American Community Survey. Both are held by the
larger U.S. Census Bureau and its related subsidiaries in
each state. The Census Bureau collects data about
American families for the nation, states and
communities. Their data provides statistics on trends in
household and family composition, and show the number
of children, young adults and couples living in the United
States. Their wave on Families and Living Arrangements
is organized into clusters: childcare, children, child
support, families and households, fertility, grandparents
and grandchildren, marriage and divorce, and same-sex
couples.[7]