STUDY: A study tracking four-year trends has found that McKean County has seen the biggest drop in single-parent households in Pennsylvania, while Cameron County has seen one of the biggest increases.

The study, by BadCredit.org, looked at County Health Rankings to track data, looking at changes since 2021. Overall, they found that across the majority of states, there has been a modest decline in the percentage of children in single-parent households, with decreases ranging from 1% to 2%.

That held true in Pennsylvania, too. The percentage of children in single-parent households in the Keystone State has dropped by 1%. Not all counties fared the same.

The top five counties with the greatest decrease in children in single-parent households were McKean at -7%, Sullivan at -6%, Forest at -5%, Mifflin at -5% and Armstrong at -5%.

The five counties with the highest growth in single-parent households among children were Cameron and Greene, tied at 5%, Schuylkill at 4%, Northumberland at 3% and Clearfield at 3%.

Without anything to compare it to, the percentages here seem sizable.

But wait — everything’s bigger in Texas. The study showed the county with the biggest rise in single-parent households — 40% — is Foard, Texas, closely followed by Culberson, also in Texas (39%), and Mora, New Mexico (38%).

“The data shows that there is a stark reminder that behind these percentages are real families dealing with real challenges. Raising kids on a single income isn’t just about budgeting — it’s about juggling childcare, work, and those surprise expenses that always seem to pop up at the worst times,” said Jon McDonald, senior editor at BadCredit.org.