Washington D.C. – Today, a new analysis of the nation’s unemployment rate reveals that more than 1 in 10 children are living with an unemployed parent, totaling more than 7.7 million children nationwide. The analysis was completed using the results from the monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics’ jobs report released earlier today, finding that the national unemployment rate rose from its prior steady rate of 9.6 percent to 9.8 percent during the month of November.
In addition to showing that the Great Recession has doubled the number of children living with an unemployed parent nationally, the analysis, released by First Focus, also provides a state-by-state breakdown of the data. The brief details the lifetime effects that children living with an unemployed parent will likely experience. Compared to other children, kids living with an unemployed parent are more likely to experience homelessness, suffer from child abuse, fail to complete high school or college, and live in poverty as adults.
“The numbers released today prove that many families are continuing to struggle in the wake of the recession,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus, a bipartisan child advocacy organization. “It is imperative that Congress and the President move now to ensure the continuity of much needed services that are of immense value to low-income and unemployed families with children. Unemployment benefits kept one million children out of poverty in 2009. We urge Congress and the President to continue this program through 2011 in order to protect our most vulnerable children.”
Key findings from the analysis include:
– As of November 2010, more than 1 out of 10 American children, 7.7 million, has an unemployed parent.
– The Great Recession has doubled the number of children with an unemployed parent;
– Nearly one third (29 percent) of America’s unemployed workers are parents;
– Nevada has the highest rate of children living with an unemployed parent at 16 percent, and North Dakota has the lowest rate at 5 percent;
– California has the highest number of children affected, 1.5 million or 13 percent.