UNITED STATES DEPT. OF COMMERCE
September 2, 1997 CB97-FS.09 MEMORANDUM FOR Reporters, Editors, News Directors From: LaVerne Vines Collins Chief, Public Information Office Subject: Facts for Grandparent's Day Each month, we plan to provide previously released facts pertaining to selected events or holidays occurring that month. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office (Tel: 301-457-3030; Fax: 301-457-3670; E-mail: pio@census.gov). The following facts come from the March 1996 Current Population Survey. Census Facts For Grandparent's Day A sizable number of the nation's children never go off to grandma's (or grandpa's) house. That's because they already live there. In 1996, about 4 million children (6 percent) lived in a grandparent's home, nearly double the 2.3 million (4 percent) who did so in 1980. Of the children living in a grandparent's home in 1996: - More than one-third (1.4 million) had neither parent present. Another 1.9 million lived with their mother, but not their father, in their grandparent's home. - More than half (52 percent) were under 6 years old, while 30 percent were between 6 and 11 and 18 percent were 12 to 17 years old. Of the 2.4 million families maintained by grandparents who had one or more of their grandchildren living with them in 1996: - Nearly half (48 percent) were families with both grandparents present and statistically the same percentage (46 percent) were maintained by grandmothers with no grandfather present. - Only 19 percent of these families' grandparent householders were 65 and older, while 48 percent were 50 to 64, and 33 percent were younger than 50.
