12 Facts About American Dads

For Father’s Day, we look at the range of experiences dads have in the U.S. today — how they balance work and home, and some of the ways they take care of their families. Data comes from the Pew Research Center, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

1) 8 the average number of hours per week fathers report spending on child care, as of 2016.

That’s about triple the average of 2.5 hours that fathers spent in 1965. Learn more.

2) 92% of fathers with children under 18 at home participated in the labor force in 2020.

And out of those in the labor force, 90% are full-time workers. Learn more.

3) 28% of married fathers are the sole breadwinners for their family, as of 2020.

In comparison, in 1970, almost half of married fathers (47%) were the sole earners in their family. This is based on those with children under 18 at home. Learn more.

4) 10% of fathers said in July 2020 that they were not working because COVID-19 disrupted child care arrangements.

This is based on working-age fathers (ages 18 to 64) with children under 18 at home. In comparison, 25% of working-age mothers said the same. Learn more.

5) 30% of fathers who have child care responsibilities while working from home said they have needed to reduce their work hours.

This is according to an October 2020 survey. Learn more.

6) 7% of fathers are stay-at-home dads, as of 2016.

In comparison, 27% of mothers are stay-at-home moms. Learn more.

7) 19% of fathers say they are the ones who usually prepare the meals for the family, as of 2016.

Another 20% say meal preparation is split equally between them and their partner. Learn more.

8) 20% of fathers say they are the ones who usually do the grocery shopping for the household, as of 2016.

In comparison, 80% of mothers say they usually shop for groceries. Learn more.

9) 55% of married or partnered fathers say that they do more to manage their children’s schedules than their partner, as of 2020.

Another 36% of fathers said the responsibility is shared equally between them and their partner. Learn more.

10) 46% of fathers said in October 2020 that they spend the right amount of time with their kids.

Another 48% said they spend too little time and 5% said they spend too much time with them. Learn more.

11) 4% of American children were living with a single father in 2019.

In comparison, 1% of children in 1968 lived with a single dad. Learn more.

12) This last fact is for the future dads: 44% of men ages 18 to 49 who don’t have children say they want to have them someday, as of 2017.

Learn more.