Single father families are diverse. Some are formed by the death of a wife or partner, others by divorce, or by a never-married father assuming custody of his dependent child. Thirty-four percent live in a multigenerational household. Single father families are distinct from both married families and single mother families. However, single father families tend to be poorer and have lower labor force participation than married fathers.
Single fathers have fewer children than married fathers, but more than single mothers.
Single fathers are more likely than married fathers to live in households with relatives or other unrelated adults, but significantly less often than single mothers do. And single father families today are more likely to have young children present, yet very few receive child support payments from the mother.