JANUARY 2005

Summary

This issue brief examines the receipt of unemployment insurance receipt 

among low-income single women with children. It fi nds that: 

RECEIPT OF UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE 

AMONG LOW-INCOME SINGLE MOTHERS

• Receipt of unemployment insurance (UI) benefi ts increased among 

low-income single women with children between 2000 and 2003 – 

in marked contrast to the lack of change in UI receipt among this 

population during the recession of the 1990s.

• The increase in use of the unemployment insurance system is likely 

due to the dramatic increase in employment among single mothers 

with children since enactment of welfare reform in 1996. 

• Former welfare recipients who transition from welfare to work 

appear to have greater access to unemployment insurance in recent 

years than was true for their counterparts in the 1980s. 

• Increased reliance on unemployment insurance as a primary safety 

net has reduced some of the demand for cash assistance from the 

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, 

contributing to some of the recent decline in TANF caseloads.

Introduction 

In August 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 

Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) replaced the old cash welfare system, 

Aid to Families with Dependent Children, with a new program, focusing 

on work and personal responsibility. Under the new Temporary Assistance 

for Needy Families (TANF) program, welfare caseloads declined dramatically. 

Between 1996 and 2003, the proportion of families with children under 

18 receiving TANF cash assistance fell in half, from 12.8 percent to 6.0 

percent, as shown in Figure A. 

ABOUT THIS 

ISSUE BRIEF

This ASPE Issue Brief on 

“Receipt of Unemployment 

Insurance Among Low-Income 

Single Mothers” was written by 

Julia B. Isaacs with assistance 

from other staff in the Offi ce of 

Human Services Policy in the 

Offi ce of the Assistant Secretary 

for Planning and Evaluation.

The issue brief presents analysis 

of data from the Census Bureau’s 

Annual Social and Economic 

Supplement of the Current 

Population Survey, supplemented 

by fi ndings from two ASPE-sponsored research reports conducted by 

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

By focusing on increased receipt 

of unemployment insurance, this 

Issue Brief highlights a largely 

overlooked, but signifi cant, change 

in the lives of single women and 

their families.

Offi ce of the Assistant Secretary 

for Planning and Evaluation

Offi ce of Human 

Services Policy

US Department of Health 

and Human Services

Washington, DC 20201

Michael J. O’Grady, Ph.D

Assistant Secretary

Don Winstead

Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Human Services Policy
ASPE ISSUE BRIEF | 2

The early years of TANF implementation occurred during a period of strong economic growth, refl ected in falling 

unemployment rates, both among the overall population, and, as shown in Figure A, among single mothers with children 

under 18 – those most likely to participate in TANF. 1

 While policy changes have played a substantial role in caseload 

decline, the strong economy also has been credited with facilitating the transition of many welfare recipients from welfare 

to work, and playing a role in contributing to the unprecedented decline in welfare caseloads. Because the economy 

was so strong in early years of TANF implementation, some critics of welfare reform questioned whether welfare reform 

would continue to be a success if the economy were to slow down and unemployment rates were to rise. Would lowincome single mothers return to TANF cash assistance and reverse some of the early achievements of welfare reform? 

The evidence to date shows little increase in TANF caseload nationally. Between 2000 and 2003, unemployment 

among single mothers has increased somewhat, yet the TANF caseload has continued to fall, though at a more moderated 

pace. This divergence in trends between unemployment and TANF caseloads has led to a new question: why have 

TANF caseloads remained relatively fl at, and in fact continued to decline, in a period when there has been some economic 

downturn and increase in unemployment? The lack of increase in welfare caseloads is particularly remarkable given 

increases in other measures of need: between 2000 and 2003, there has been an increase in the percentage of the population receiving food stamps and in the poverty rate of female-headed families (see Figure B and Appendix Table B-1). 

While there are undoubtedly a number of contributing factors, this Issue Brief focuses on one largely overlooked, 

but signifi cant change in the lives of these women and their families, the increased receipt of unemployment insurance 

among single mothers with children.2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Percent

TANF Family Recipiency Rate

Unemployment Rate of Single Mothers

Note and source: TANF families are receiving cash assistance funded through TANF or closely related “Separate State Programs.” 

See Appendix A for further defi nitions and source. 

Figure A: Trends in TANF Receipt and Unemployment Rates, 1990-2003

1

 For the years 1995-2003, unemployment rates for single mothers with children under age 18 are based on calendar year averages, while for the years 1990-

1994, unemployment rates are measured using data for a single month – March. Fluctuations in 1990-1994 are likely due to the use of a single month. Single 

mothers are women who are the head of the household with own children under age 18 and no husband present, including mothers who are never-married, 

married with spouse absent, widowed, or divorced. 

2

 This brief presents new analysis of data from the Census Bureau’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey, supplemented 

by fi ndings from two ASPE-sponsored research reports conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. 
3 | ASPE ISSUE BRIEF

Figure B: Trends in TANF, Unemployment, Food Stamps and Poverty

28.0

33.4

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Percent

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Female-Headed Poverty Rate

TANF Family Recipiency Rate (among families w ith children)

Unemployment Rate (among single mothers)

Food Stamp Recipiency Rate (among total population)

Poverty Rate (of female-headed families)

Source: See Appendix A for defi nitions and sources. 

Increase in Unemployment Insurance Receipt Since 2000 

Between 2000 and 2003, the proportion of low-income single women with children receiving unemployment insurance 

(UI) benefi ts at some point in the year increased from 4.6 to 6.7 percent. 3

 Generally, it is not surprising to see an increase 

in receipt of unemployment insurance in times of unemployment. What is important is the increase in the unemployment 

insurance recipiency rate since 2000 (shown in Figure C) compared to the relatively fl at levels of UI receipt throughout the 

1990s, despite the recession of the early 1990s. 

The increase in receipt of unemployment insurance appears to have occurred for single women of various income levels. 

The trend line is strikingly similar for single women with children below 200 percent of poverty and below 100 percent of 

poverty, as shown in Figure D. Another important group to examine is single female heads of food stamp households with 

children under age 18, a group of single women with children that is at high risk for TANF receipt. Analysis of food stamp 

administrative data indicates that although female food stamp recipients are less likely to receive unemployment insurance 

than single mothers more generally, the same upward trend is observed. 4

 The proportion of single women heading food 

stamp households with children receiving unemployment insurance has doubled, from about 2 percent during most of the 

1990s, to 4 percent in 2003.

3

 Throughout this brief, “low-income” is defi ned as income less than 200 percent of poverty, and “single women with children” includes women who head 

families with related children under 18 and have no husband present. Though largely synonymous with “single mothers” this population also includes some 

grandmothers, aunts, etc. with related children. As noted before, single means never-married, married with spouse absent, widowed, or divorced. 

4

 Note that the food stamp administrative data records receipt of unemployment insurance in the same month as receipt of food stamp benefi ts, whereas 

the other measures examine receipt of UI benefi ts at any point in the year. `The use of a monthly rather than annual measure of recipiency is one reason the 

UI recipiency rate is lower among female-headed food stamp cases as compared with low-income single mothers in the general population.
ASPE ISSUE BRIEF | 4

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Percent

TANF Family Recipiency Rate (among families with children)

Unemployment Rate (among single mothers)

Unemployment Insurance (recipiency rate among low-income single women with children)

Notes: The TANF family recipiency rate measures average monthly receipt of TANF (based on administrative data). In contrast, the 

UI recipiency rate measures annual receipt of unemployment insurance rate at any point in the calendar year. Monthly receipt measures 

are generally lower than annual receipt measures since families do not receive benefi ts for all 12 months of the year. Monthly administrative data on 

UI receipt among single mothers are not available. See Appendix A for further discussion of data and sources. 

Figure C: Trends in TANF, Unemployment, and Unemployment Insurance

0

2

4

6

8

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Percent Receiving UI

Single Women with Children, <200% of Poverty

Single Female Heads of Food Stamp 

Households with Children

Single Women with Children, 

<100% of Poverty

Source: See Appendix A for defi nitions and sources. 

Recipiency rate for single female heads of food stamp households in 2003 is based on preliminary data. 

Figure D: Unemployment Insurance Recipiency Rates 

among Single Women with Children 
5 | ASPE ISSUE BRIEF

The contrast between the early 1990s and the period since 2000 is seen more sharply when comparing the experiences 

of low-income single women with children to low-income married adults with children (see Figure E and Appendix Table 

B-2). Receipt of UI benefi ts among low-income married men with children rose to a peak of over 12 percent in 1992 

(the same year that overall unemployment rates peaked), and then fell through the 1990s until it came within one percentage point of the recipiency rate among single women with children. Since 2000, rates for both groups have increased at 

roughly the same pace. In 2002, for example, the rate of UI receipt was 8.0 percent for married men and 6.9 percent for 

single women. Rates of UI receipt for married women with children, however, did not show a similar increase. Figure E 

suggests a shift in the relationship of single women with children to the unemployment insurance system in recent years 

to one that more closely resemble the experience of low-income married men with children. 

What has changed in the past decade, particularly since the enactment of PRWORA in 1996, is that record numbers of 

welfare recipients have gone to work. The percentage of adult recipients working while receiving TANF has increased from 

11 percent in 1996 to 25 percent in 2002. More generally, the employment rates of never-married mothers with children 

under 18 – those single mothers who have the highest rates of participation in TANF and thus are most likely to be affected 

by changes in welfare policy – has increased at dramatic rate, from 45 percent in 1990 to 63 percent in 2003, as measured 

by the employment-population ratio (see Figure F). Mothers who were divorced, widowed, or whose husbands were absent, 

also saw increases (from 68 to 75 percent), though as not as dramatic as never-married mothers. In contrast, the employment-population ratio among married mothers increased only from 64 to 66 percent. 

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Recipiency Rate

Single Women

Married Men

Married Women

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tabulations of data from the Annual Social and 

Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey.

Figure E: Unemployment Insurance Recipiency Rates Among 

Low-Income Adults with Children, by Marital Status
ASPE ISSUE BRIEF | 6

These dramatic increases in employment among welfare recipients and single mothers at risk of participating on welfare 

raise the possibility that a number of them will qualify for unemployment insurance. Eligibility for unemployment insurance is not guaranteed, however. In particular, the low wages and unstable work histories of many former welfare recipients 

can make it challenging for them to meet the monetary and non-monetary requirements for unemployment insurance, 

depending on specifi c criteria set by the states. In terms of monetary requirements, most states require workers to have 

worked at least two quarters and to earn a minimum amount of earnings in a one-year “base” period. In addition, workers 

are not eligible if they quit their jobs without good cause, or are fi red for misconduct, and many states require applicants to 

be available for and seeking full-time work (a non-monetary requirement that can pose particular challenges for mothers 

of young children). To examine these issues, ASPE sponsored research to study the eligibility of former TANF recipients for 

unemployment insurance. Findings from this research are summarized below. 

Eligibility of Low-Income Single Working Mothers for Unemployment Insurance 

Researchers at Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. have conducted two separate studies of the extent to which unemployment insurance has the potential to serve as a safety net for women leaving welfare for work. Both studies, one conducted 

in New Jersey (Rangarajan et al., 2002) and one in sites across fi ve states (Rangarajan et al., 2004) examined the employment and earnings records of TANF recipients after they exited welfare for work, and found that former TANF recipients 

were more likely to be eligible for UI benefi ts in the event of unemployment than were former AFDC recipients, based on 

earlier studies.5 Both studies found that the majority (90 percent in the fi ve-site study and 75 percent in New Jersey) of 

former TANF recipients had suffi cient earnings to meet the monetary requirements for unemployment insurance at some 

45

63

75

68

66

64

40.0

45.0

50.0

55.0

60.0

65.0

70.0

75.0

80.0

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Percent

Never-Married

Divorced, Widowed, 

Husband Absent

Married

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished tabulations of data from the Annual Social and 

Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey

Figure F: Increased Employment of Mothers with Children <18 

By Marital Status of Mother
7 | ASPE ISSUE BRIEF

point during the fi rst two years following their exit for work. The percentage of those potentially eligible at any point in 

time was lower–between 50 to 70 percent in any given quarter of the second year after exit. The authors note that these 

rates are high compared to earlier estimates of about 33 percent based on studies using data from the mid- and late-1980s. 

(The New Jersey study covered TANF exits in the late 1990s, and the fi ve-site study covered TANF exits occurring in 

1999-2001). 

In addition to examining monetary eligibility, the New Jersey study used survey data to look further at the extent to which 

former welfare recipients meeting monetary requirements for UI benefi ts also were likely to meet non-monetary requirements (i.e., worker has a qualifi ed work separation and is seeking and available for work, generally full-time work). As many 

as 60 percent of those with monetary eligibility were estimated as being potentially disqualifi ed for non-monetary grounds 

(i.e., quitting their jobs or seeking part-time work), leaving a total of 30 percent clearly able to meet both fi nancial and 

non-fi nancial criteria.6

 Access of former welfare recipients to UI benefi ts, while not universal, has improved substantially 

over the past decade. 

The trend of increased eligibility for unemployment insurance – suggested by the two studies of eligibility of former TANF 

recipients – also can be seen in national data for all unemployed low-income single mothers with children. Among these 

women, the ratio of those receiving UI benefi ts during the year to those unemployed during the year increased from 29 

percent in 1990 to 40 percent in 2003 (see Figure G).7

5

 Rangarajan, A., Razafi ndrakoto, C., and Corson, W. (2002), Study to Examine UI Eligibility Among Former TANF Recipients:Evidence from New Jersey (http://aspe.

hhs.gov/hsp/UI-elig-former-TANF03/index.htm) and Rangarajan, A. and Razafi ndrakoto, C. (2004) Unemployment Insurance as a Potential Safety Net for TANF 

Leavers: Evidence from Five States (http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/wtw-grants-eval98/ui04). The fi ve sites are Maricopa County, AZ; Cook County, IL; Baltimore County, 

MD; Philadelphia County, PA; and Tarrant County, TX.

6

 The authors characterize the 60 percent ineligibility estimate as an “upper bound” estimate; using it; only 40 percent of the 75 percent who met the 

monetary criteria (or 30 percent of the total) also met the non-monetary criteria. Note that this rough indicator of eligibility is based on a combination of 

administrative and survey data from New Jersey, a state that has somewhat more restrictive monetary UI eligibility rules than other states, but somewhat less 

restrictive non-monetary rules. 

7

 Among all low-income adults 15 and older, the ratio increased from 40 percent in 1990 to 51 percent in 2003. This ratio is based on calculations of the Annual 

Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey, examining those receiving unemployment insurance at any point in the previous calendar 

year and those unemployed at any point in the previous year. Therefore it differs somewhat from the traditional ratio of those receiving UI benefi ts at a particular 

point in time as a percentage of those unemployed at the same point in time. 

40

29

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Low Income Single Women with Children Receiving 

UI

Total Unemployed Low-Income Single Women with Children

X 100

Source: ASPE tabulations of data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey.

Figure G: Ratio of Insured Unemployment to Total Unemployment for 

Low-Income Single Women with Children
ASPE ISSUE BRIEF | 8

This increase may refl ect more work experience and higher earnings among single mothers before they experience unemployment. It also may refl ect the increased accessibility of state unemployment insurance systems to low-wage workers. For 

example, the minimum level of earnings required for UI eligibility has remained unchanged in 21 states over the past ten 

years – essentially lowering the real dollar requirement in comparison to rising wages. Thus more low-income unemployed 

workers are likely to qualify for unemployment compensation.

The Role of UI Benefi ts in the Safety Net for Single Mothers

The study in New Jersey not only looked at potential eligibility of women leaving welfare work, but also looked at actual 

receipt of UI benefi ts. These data also show that unemployment insurance is fairly accessible to former TANF recipients. 

Over half (53 percent) of those who exited welfare and found work applied for unemployment insurance at some point in 

the three-year period after TANF exit. Awareness of the UI system and its potential as a safety net program appears high 

among former TANF recipients in New Jersey (in part due to a program requirement that former workers must fi le a UI 

claim before their eligibility for TANF is determined). Furthermore, the study found that over half (56 percent) of claims 

resulted in actual benefi t payments.8 

For those former welfare recipients who received UI benefi ts, payments averaged about $860 per month, or twice the level 

($424) of the TANF benefi t for a family of three in New Jersey in 2001. UI benefi ts vary from state to state, but the fi vestate study also found potential UI benefi ts about twice as high as TANF benefi ts. Thus, from the perspective of the single 

mother who qualifi es for unemployment insurance, as well as from the perspective of the welfare agency, UI benefi ts may 

be a preferred form of social safety net over cash welfare payments. 

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Unemployment Insurance (Annual Amount in 2003 Dollars)

$

Source: See Appendix A for defi nitions and source.

Figure H: Average Annual Amount of Unemployment Insurance Received 

by Low-Income Single Women With Children

8

 Over half of those who fi led one claim fi led a second one, and so some former recipients may have received payments under two different claims over the 

three-year period. 
9 | ASPE ISSUE BRIEF

Although UI benefi ts are higher than TANF benefi ts, they operate under a tighter time limit than the fi ve-year TANF 

time limit; UI benefi ts are generally available for only 26 weeks.9 On average, former welfare recipients in New Jersey 

collected UI benefi ts for 16 weeks, receiving slightly less than $3,300 per claim. While it is diffi cult to compare former 

welfare recipients in New Jersey to the broader population of low-income single women with children nationally, roughly 

similar benefi t amounts were found in the annual Current Population Survey data. These data show annual benefi ts among 

low-income single mothers with children rising in recent years, from less than $2,500 per year through most of the 1990s, 

to close to $3,800 in 2002 and 2003, as shown in Figure H (all fi gures are shown in constant 2003 dollars). 10

Income received from the unemployment insurance system is countable when determining a family’s eligibility for 

TANF cash assistance and for food stamp benefi ts, as well as in calculating offi cial poverty statistics. In most instances, 

UI benefi ts raise a family’s income above the eligibility levels for TANF cash assistance, and so a family is unlikely to 

receive both forms of cash benefi ts in the same month. Food stamp eligibility limits are generally higher, however, and 

it is not uncommon for low-income families to continue to qualify for food stamp benefi ts in the same month as 

collecting unemployment insurance. Also, although UI benefi ts are twice as high as TANF benefi ts in many states, they 

still may not be suffi cient to lift a family above poverty (the Federal poverty threshold for a family of 3 in 2003 was 

$14,680). Thus the increases in female-headed poverty rates and in food stamp recipiency rates observed in Figure B 

are not inconsistent with the increased use of unemployment insurance. 

164,000

-150,000

0

150,000

300,000

Unemployed single women with children 

TANF families

Low-income single women with children receiving UI benefits

226,000

-122,500

Source: See Appendix A for defi nitions and sources.

Figure I: Changes Between 2000 and 2003 in Unemployment, 

TANF and Unemployment Insurance

9

 Though much shorter than the fi ve-year time limit in TANF, the UI time limit is different in being “renewable;” once a worker meets the necessary 

requirements for a new work history, the worker is again eligible for full benefi ts. 

10 An increase in annual benefi ts can result from an increase in the duration of benefi t receipts as well as a change in the size of weekly benefi ts. 
ASPE ISSUE BRIEF | 10

Although families are unlikely to receive TANF and UI benefi ts in the same month, these two forms of temporary 

cash assistance can be complementary in supporting low-income working families. Some low-income single mothers 

who lose their jobs will likely to turn to TANF cash assistance if their unemployment insurance benefi ts run out before 

they fi nd another job, or if they do not qualify for UI benefi ts. This issue was examined in the New Jersey study, which 

found that the majority (90 percent) of former welfare recipients who fi led a UI claim returned to work during the 

three-year study period. While nearly two-thirds returned directly to employment, without fi rst turning to TANF, one 

in four did return to TANF fi rst, either because they did not receive UI benefi ts, or because their UI benefi ts were 

exhausted. Unemployment insurance is by no means the only element of the safety net for single women with children; 

TANF cash assistance, food stamps, Medicaid, and other non-cash supports also play an important role in supporting 

low-income working families in times of economic challenge. Yet, since 2000, unemployment insurance has played a 

larger role in supporting single women with children than is generally acknowledged.

The magnitude of the changes in receipt of TANF and unemployment insurance benefi ts is shown in Figure I and in 

Table Appendix B-3. By way of background, between 2000 and 2003, the average monthly number of unemployed 

single mothers with children rose by 226,000. Over the same time period, the average monthly number of TANF 

cases decreased by approximately 122,500 and the number of low-income single mothers with children who received 

unemployment insurance at some point in the year increased by 164,000.11 Some unknown proportion of these 164,000 

low-income single mothers with children was kept off the welfare rolls because of income from unemployment insurance. 

12 In other words, if the number of single mothers receiving unemployment insurance had not increased (that is, if 

UI recipiency rates remained as fl at for this population as in the early 1990s), one would have seen more families on 

TANF in 2003 than actually occurred. While the size of the effect is uncertain, the direction is clear. Increased receipt 

of unemployment benefi ts is not the only change affecting TANF caseloads in the post-1996 era, but it is an often-overlooked one. The decline in TANF caseload between 2000 and 2003 would have been smaller – or possibly nonexistent 

– but for the increase in unemployment insurance benefi ts among low-income single women with children. 

Conclusion

This issue brief has examined unemployment insurance receipt among single women with children as a potential 

explanation for why TANF caseloads have not risen in response to higher levels of unemployment. Analysis of data 

from the Current Population Survey has shown that receipt of UI benefi ts increased among low-income single women 

with children between 2000-2003, in a pattern that is in contrast to lack of increased receipt during the recession of 

the 1990s. What has changed between the two periods is the enactment of welfare reform and the dramatic increase 

in employment among single mothers with children, especially among never-married mothers who are most at risk 

for TANF receipt. Now that so many single mothers are working, many of these new workers are able to qualify for 

unemployment insurance coverage. Two studies conducted by Mathematica Policy Research for ASPE have documented 

that signifi cant numbers of women who leave welfare for work are indeed eligible for unemployment insurance. Therefore, during periods of economic diffi culty, many single mothers who experience interruptions in their employment 

have been able to use the unemployment insurance (UI) system as their primary safety net. This increased use of 

unemployment insurance has reduced some of the demand for TANF cash assistance.

11 Monthly measures of UI receipt would be more comparable to the fi rst two bars, but such measures do not exist by family structure and presence of children. 

Also note that although most of the TANF cases in the second bar involve female-headed families, an estimated 3,600 TANF cases in the decline are offi cially 

classifi ed as two-parent cases. (In addition to the formal “two-parent” classifi cation, there are other cases that may involve married couples, e.g., children living 

with married grandparents or with non-citizen married parents who are not part of the TANF unit). Finally, the average monthly unemployment measure in the 

fi rst bar is not limited to those below 200 percent of poverty. However, there was a similar increase (240,600) between 2000 and 2003 in single mothers below 

200 percent of poverty when measured as mothers experiencing unemployment at any point during the year. 

12 While unknown, the proportion is clearly not 100 percent or 0 percent. Some women would have suffi cient assets or income to be disqualifi ed from welfare 

even without unemployment benefi ts; some would not turn to welfare in any case due to stigma, cultural values or preference for other sources of support; and 

some might turn to welfare later in the year. On the other hand, the cash income provided by unemployment insurance would eliminate some women’s need 

for any welfare during periods of unemployment. 
11 | ASPE ISSUE BRIEF

Appendix A – Defi nitions and Data Sources

Figure A:

TANF family recipiency rate is based on HHS administrative data on monthly number of families receiving cash 

assistance through TANF or closely related “Separate State Programs,” averaged over the calendar year and divided by 

U.S. Census bureau data on total number of families with children under 18, July 1st of each year. Families in the territories were excluded from the numerator to be consistent with the denominator. Data for 1990-1997 are from the Aid to 

Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, the predecessor of TANF. 

Unemployment rate among single mothers with children is based on calendar year averages of monthly unemployment rates for 1995-2003 (unpublished tabulations of CPS data produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics), but on data 

for a single month -- March -- for 1990-1994 (based on BLS published data). Fluctuations in 1990-1994 are likely due to 

the use of the single month. Single mothers are women who are the head of household with no husband present, including 

mothers who are never married, married with spouse absent, widowed, or divorced. Children are own children less than 18.

Figure B:

TANF family recipiency rate. See notes for Figure A.

Unemployment rate among single mothers with children. See notes for Figure A.

Food stamp recipiency rate is based on U.S. Department of Agriculture administrative data on monthly number of individuals receiving food stamps, averaged over the calendar year, divided by U.S. Census bureau data on total population, July 

1st of each year. 

Female-headed poverty rate is for families with a female householder, no husband present, from U.S. Census Bureau’s 

“Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2003”, P 60-226, Table B-1

Figure C:

TANF family recipiency rate. See notes for Figure A.

Unemployment rate among single mothers with children. See notes for Figure A.

Unemployment insurance recipiency rate among low-income-single women with children is based on 

ASPE tabulations of the Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey. Low-income 

single women with children is defi ned as women in households without a husband present (female-heads) in families 

with income < 200 percent of poverty and related children < 18. Note that the related children may include nieces, 

nephews, grandchildren, etc., as well as own children. Note that this recipiency rate includes receipt of unemployment 

insurance rate at any point in the calendar year. Since families do not receive 12 months of unemployment 

insurance, it is higher than if receipt had been measured as an average of receipt in each month.

Figure D:

Unemployment insurance recipiency rates among single women with children. See notes for Figure C (rate for 

those with income < 100 percent of poverty calculated in same way as for those with income < 200 percent of poverty). 

Recipiency rate of unemployment insurance among single female heads of food stamp households with 

children is based on unpublished Food and Nutrition Service tabulations of data from the Food Stamp Quality Control 

survey. It is limited to female adults who are the sole adult in the household, representing about one-third of all food stamp 

households. Children must be less than 18, but may not necessarily be the female head’s own child. Recipiency is measured 

on a monthly basis; the family must receive both food stamps and unemployment in the same month to appear in this table. 

The 2003 rate is based on preliminary data.
ASPE ISSUE BRIEF | 12

Figure E:

Unemployment insurance recipiency rates among low-income single women with children, low-income 

married men with children, and low-income married women with children

See notes on Figure C. Low-income married men and women are defi ned the same way as low-income single mothers 

with children – except that the man or woman must be the head or spouse in a family headed by a married couple 

Figure F:

Employment-population ratios are based on unpublished BLS tabulations of mothers’ employment by age of own 

children and martial status, based on data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population 

Survey. The employment-population ratio is the proportion of mothers 16 and over that is employed. The three marital 

statuses shown include: married; never-married; and married with spouse absent, widowed, or divorced. 

Figure G:

The ratio of insured employment to total unemployment among low-income single women with children

is based on ASPE tabulations of data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey. 

The numerator (insured employment) is low-income women with children who receive unemployment insurance at any 

point during the calendar year (as explained in notes for Figure C). The denominator (total employment) is low-income 

women with children who experience unemployment at any point during the calendar year. Thus it differs somewhat 

from measures that examine IUR to TUR ratios at a point in time (but the latter measure is not available by marital status 

and presence of children). 

Figure H:

Average amount of unemployment insurance benefi ts received by low-income single women with children is 

based on ASPE tabulations of data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey. 

Low-income single women with children defi ned in notes to Figure C. Average amounts are adjusted to 2003 dollars, 

using the CPI-U price defl ator. 

Figure I: 

See notes to Figure A for defi nition and source of unemployed single mothers with children. 

See notes to Figure A for defi nition and source of TANF families, except note families in the territories were not 

excluded in this fi gure. 

See notes to Figure C for defi nition and source of low-income single women with children receiving UI benefi ts. 
13 | ASPE ISSUE BRIEF

 

 

 

 

1990 

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995 

1996 

1997 

1998

1999 

2000 

2001 

2002 

2003

12.4

13.7

14.6

14.9

14.6

13.8

12.8

10.6

8.7

7.3

6.6

6.1

6.1

6.0

8.2

9.3

10.1

10.5

10.4

9.9

9.3

8.1

7.0

6.4

6.1

6.2

6.8

7.6

11.0

11.2

10.5

9.3

8.1

7.5

7.9

9.5

10.2

11.1

11.6

12.7

11.8

13.0

10.8

10.3

11.9

10.1

8.4

7.5

8.1

9.8

10.8

33.4

35.6

35.4

35.6

34.6

32.4

32.6

31.6

29.9

27.8

25.4

26.4

26.5

28.0

CY Average

TANF

Family

Recipiency

Rate

CY Average

Food

Stamp

Recipiency

Rate

CY Average

Unemployment

among Single Mothers

with Children

in March

Unemployment

among Single Mothers

with Children

TABLE B-1. TANF RECIPIENCY, FOODSTAMP RECIPIENCY, UNEMPLOYMENT,

AND POVERTY RATES (FIGURES A AND B) 

Annual

Poverty Rate of

Female Headed

Families

 

 

 

 

 

 

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

5.3

6.2

5.9

5.7

5.3

5.0

5.3

4.6

4.9

4.7

4.6

6.2

6.9

6.7

9.2

12.2

12.6

10.3

8.9

8.5

7.0

6.8

5.8

5.5

5.5

7.2

8.0

8.4

3.5

4.5

4.6

4.8

3.9

3.2

3.0

3.3

3.3

2.6

2.6

2.8

3.1

3.9

1.2

1.5

2.2

2.3

1.6

1.5

1.5

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.2

2.5

3.3

4.0

$2,055

$2,523

$3,154

$3,049

$2,619

$2,291

$2,402

$2,280

$2,267

$2,376

$2,095

$2,775

$3,783

$3,760

Any point 

in year

Low-Income

Single Women

with Children

Any point 

in year

Low-Income

Married Men

with Children

TABLE B-2. UNEMPLOYMENT, INSURANCE RECIPIENCY, 

RATES AND BENEFITS (FIGURES D, E AND H) 

Any point 

in year

Low-Income

Married Women

with Children

FY Average

Food Stamp

Households with

Children, Headed

by Single Women

Annual, 

CY03 Dollars

Average UI Benefit

among Low-Income

Single Women

Year with Children

Appendix B – Data Underlying Figures
ASPE ISSUE BRIEF | 14

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2000 to 2003

730,000

772,000

770,000

695,000

616,000

574,000

614,000

755,000

800,000

226,000

4,056,586

4,497,184

4,829,098

5,011,828

5,032,634

4,790,751

4,434,162

3,740,176

3,050,340

2,554,072

2,302,786

2,191,509

2,187,159

2,180,254

-122,532

313,000

381,000

375,000

391,000

345,000

319,000

358,000

294,000

308,000

286,000

271,000

380,000

426,000

435,000

164,000

CY Average 

Unemployed

Singe Mother

with Children

TABLE B-3. UNEMPLOYED SINGLE WOMEN, TANF FAMILIES AND SINGLE WOMEN

RECEIVING UI BENEFITS (FIGURES I) 

CY Average 

AFDC/TANF/SSP

FAMILIES

Any point in year 

Low-Income Single

Women with Children

Year Receiving UI Benefits

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

& HUMAN SERVICES

Offi ce of the Secretary

Washington, DC 

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

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