Households and Families - What is the difference between the terms?

Today let’s explore the difference between the terms Households and Families.

A household can be a single person or a group of people who live together whereas a family needs
to have at least 2 people, and they need to be related to each other by blood, marriage or adoption.

So, 2 people who are married, regardless of either’s gender are a family.  But two people who are partners
(boyfriends, girlfriends, roommates) are not a family – but they are still a household.

Parents and children or siblings are always a family.  And someone who lives by themselves
is never a family but is still always counted as a household.

Of the 131 million households in the US (according to the American Community Survey 2023)
47% (or nearly half) are married couples with or without children living with them. 

There are another 17% who are most likely single parent families (5% + 12%). 

Nearly a third of households (29%) are people who live alone and then there are
7% of households who are not families, but not living alone – roommates, partners, etc.

It’s easy to run data reports about families, households and hundreds of other variables with
GeoLytics demographic data products – like our American Community Survey or our Estimates and Projections. 

Remember, all families as well as those who live alone or with roommates are Households.  
The only folks who don’t live in a household are those in Group Quarters –

but that’s for next time on “Let’s Explore Data with GeoLytics”.