Children are expected to remain a stable percentage of the total population as they are projected to comprise 24 percent of the population in 2020. The racial and ethnic diversity of America's children continues to increase. The number of Hispanic children has increased faster than that of any other racial or ethnic group, growing from 9 percent of the child population in 1980 to 16 percent in 1999. The family structures of children have become more varied. The percentage of children living with one parent increased from 20 percent in 1980 to 27 percent in 1999.
Most children living with single parents live with a single mother.
However, the proportion of children living with single fathers doubled over this time period, from 2 percent in 1980 to 4 percent in 1999.