Living Arrangements

The 1990 census contains information on the living situation of each individual child counted. Table 2 summarizes the results. Just over one-third (34%) of American Indian children in Minnesota live with both mother and father in a married-couple family. Nearly half (49%) live with one parent--40 percent live with their mothers and nine percent with their fathers. In these one-parent families, there may be one or more adults, such as a boyfriend, girlfriend or relative, living with the parent who may provide some degree of help and support with parenting. However, there is no spouse present in these households. Ten percent of American Indian children live with relatives, primarily grandparents. Another five percent live with non-relatives, such as in foster care or with friends, and 1.4 percent live in group quarters or institutions.

Table 2: Living Arrangements of American Indian Children, by Region
	Minneapolis	St. Paul	Metro Suburbs	Greater Minnesota	Statewide Totals
Mother and Father--Married	20.3%	27.4%	48.8%	38.7%	34.4%
Father--No Spouse	8.4%	6.3%	5.4%	9.9%	8.7%
Mother--No Spouse	54.5%	51.0%	29.5%	34.4%	40.2%
Relatives	11.2%	8.0%	6.8%	11.1%	10.4%
Non-relatives	4.5%	5.4%	7.9%	4.3%	4.9%
Group Quarters or Institution	1.0%	1.9%	1.6%	1.5%	1.4%
Totals	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

Table 3 compares living arrangements of children in each of the major racial/ethnic groups in Minnesota. The American Indian community had the highest percentage of its children living with relatives, living with non-relatives, and living in group quarters and institutions (tied with African American community).

The census can only tell us where children were living at one point in time. While five percent were living with non-relatives when the census was taken, there are other children who have I had the experience of being placed with non-relatives for varying lengths of time in the past.

Table 3: Living Arrangements of Children of Color, State of Minnesota
	African American	American Indian	Asian	Chicano/ Latino	White
Mother and Father--Married	30.0%	34.4%	80.6%	61.4%	82.1%
Father--No Spouse	4.2%	8.7%	2.1%	4.4%	2.8%
Mother--No Spouse	52.3%	40.2%	11.1%	24.8%	11.4%
Relatives	8.7%	10.4%	4.4%	5.7%	2.2%
Non-relatives	3.3%	4.9%	1.6%	3.0%	1.4%
Group Quarters or Institution	1.4%	1.4%	0.2%	0.7%	0.2%
Totals	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

Next Section

The Well-Being of American Indian Children in Minnesota: Economic Conditions, 1994