Executive Summary

Over the last half century, the United States has witnessed a dramatic retreat from marriage. The marriage rate dropped by more than 50 percent, the divorce rate doubled, nonmarital childbearing rose from 5 percent to 40 percent, and—most importantly—the share of children living in single-parent families rose from 9 percent to 26 percent. Consequently, the majority of American children today will spend some time in a household without at least one of their parents. The end result is that marriage is less likely to anchor the lives of American adults and to provide children with the stability and security they need to thrive in today’s world.

These changes are not without consequence. The retreat from marriage exacts a toll on children, communities, and the country at large. At the local, state, and national levels, a decline in the prevalence of married families is linked to less economic mobility, lower median family income, and greater inequality. From the vantage point of children, this retreat is unfortunate because, as Princeton sociologist Sara McLanahan and Brookings economist Isabel Sawhill have observed, “most scholars now agree that children raised by two biological parents in a stable marriage do better than children in other family forms.” Specifically, the research indicates that children from intact, married homes are more likely to flourish in school, to graduate from college, to be gainfully employed, and to steer clear of detours, such as incarceration and teen pregnancy, that can derail their lives.  

Given the importance of marriage and family life for the welfare of children, families, and communities, the Institute for Family Studies is evaluating the success of The Healthy Family Initiative (HFI), a new multi-year effort led by the Georgia Center for Opportunity designed to increase the number of healthy relationships, strong marriages, and stable families in two adjoining, fast-growing, suburban Atlanta cities in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Norcross and Peachtree Corners. This baseline report, which describes the demographic and cultural landscape in Gwinnett County and those two cities, is the first step in assessing the success of the HFI in shaping public attitudes and family behaviors among its target population. In this baseline report, IFS will seek to determine the current demographic and cultural trends related to family life in Gwinnett County, as well as Norcress and Peachtree Corners, and to make some relevant comparisons between Gwinnett County and similar counties in North Carolina and Tennessee.