The number of families headed by single parents has skyrocketed over the past 25 years in South Dakota, according to a recent report.
Over the same period, the South Dakota Kids Count report found that the number of families headed by married couples declined by seven percent.
Single parent households have an impact on how many children live in poverty, but the poverty rate in South Dakota is the same rate it was 25 years ago at 17 percent.
Family structure is apparently not the only factor, according to poverty expert Dr. Robert Haveman.
He sees three major attributes that contribute to child poverty rates – race, demographic characteristics and labor market uses and education.
(KELO)