Percentage of one-person households in United States
United States: Percentage of one-person households was 28.0% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Percentage of one-person households in United States, 1960–2018
Source: UN, national statistical agencies, OECD, and Deutschland in Daten (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of one-person households in United States is 28.0%, measured in 2018.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of one-person households in United States peaked at 28.1% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 13.1%, in 1960.
That places United States 24th out of 67 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 59 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.6% | 13.1% | 16.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 19.6% | 17.1% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.5% | 22.7% | 24.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.0% | 24.3% | 25.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.5% | 25.5% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.7% | 26.7% | 28.1% | 9 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.5014 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0594 °C (2026)
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- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.8696 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9189 °C (2025)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of one-person households in United States?
- Percentage of one-person households in United States was 28.0% in 2018, according to UN, national statistical agencies, OECD, and Deutschland in Daten (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest percentage of one-person households recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 28.1% in 2016.
- What is the lowest percentage of one-person households recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.1% in 1960.
- How does United States rank for percentage of one-person households?
- United States ranks 24th out of 67 countries with data for 2018.
- Is percentage of one-person households rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from UN, national statistical agencies, OECD, and Deutschland in Daten (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Percentage of one-person households. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of one-person households as a share of the total number of households. Estimates combine multiple sources, including cross-country surveys and census data.