Family Economic Well-Being

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For the most part, nonelderly American families were better off financially in 1999 than in 1997. More Americans (especially single mothers) were working, fewer families were poor, and fewer had trouble putting food on the table. However, families did not report improvements in their ability to afford housing. These patterns held across broad subgroups of the population and across the states highlighted in the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF). Families' economic wellbeing improved as the longest economic expansion in the country's history continued and policies were implemented to improve the economic returns from work.

This Snapshot summarizes employment, poverty, food affordability, and housing affordability indicators for nonelderly American families from the 1999 NSAF and compares these results with those from 1997. It displays variations across family types and the 13 states highlighted in the NSAF and documents the general economic progress of American families between 1997 and 1999. However, the broad patterns reported across family types and states may obscure trends for smaller segments of society. Furthermore, these indicators provide relatively blunt measures of well-being. Poverty rates, for example, do not take into account changes in noncash sources of income, such as food stamps. Future studies that use the 1999 NSAF will provide policymakers with more detailed information about the changing nature of well-being among America's families.

Note: The Portable Document Format (PDF) of this report includes all tables and charts.

The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.

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