U.S. Households,1 Families, and Married Couples, 1890–2007

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The following table gives the number of U.S. households, the average population of each, the number of families in the U.S., the average number of people in each family, and the number of married couples for select years from 1890 to 2007.

All households Families Married couples
Date Number Average
population
per household
Number Average
population
per family
Number
June 1890 12,690,000 4.93
April 1930 29,905,000 4.11 25,174,000
April 1940 34,949,000 3.67 32,166,000 3.76 26,571,000
March 1950 43,554,000 3.37 39,303,000 3.54 34,075,000
April 1955 47,874,000 3.33 41,951,000 3.59 36,251,000
March 19602 52,799,000 3.35 45,111,000 3.67 39,254,000
March 1965 57,436,000 3.32 47,956,000 3.70 41,689,000
March 1970 63,401,000 3.14 51,586,000 3.58 44,728,000
March 1975 71,120,000 2.94 55,712,000 3.42 46,951,000
March 1980 80,776,000 2.76 59,550,000 3.29 49,112,000
March 1985 86,789,000 2.69 62,706,000 3.23 50,350,000
March 1990 93,347,000 2.63 66,090,000 3.17 52,317,000
March 1995 98,990,000 2.65 69,305,000 3.19 53,858,000
March 1996 99,627,000 2.65 69,594,000 3.20 53,567,000
Dec. 1997 101,018,000 2.64 70,241,000 3.19 53,604,000
March 1998 102,528,000 2.62 70,880,000 3.18 54,317,000
March 1999 103,874,000 2.61 71,535,000 3.18 55,849,000
March 2000 104,705,000 2.62 72,025,000 3.17 56,497,000
March 2002 109,297,000 2.58 74,329,000 3.21 56,747,000
March 2005 113,343,000 2.57 76,858,000 3.13 57,957,000
March 2006 114,384,000 2.57 77,402,000 3.13 58,179,000
March 2007 116,011,000 2.56 78,425,000 3.13 58,945,000

1. A person or group of persons who live in a housing unit.
2. First year in which figures for Alaska and Hawaii were included.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports. From Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2008.

Households by Size, 1790–2004 Household and Family Statistics Households by Type, 1980–2006
Household and Family Statistics
Sources +