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VII. DEMOGRAPHIC AND FINANCIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES RECEIVING ASSISTANCEThe data source described earlier with respect to participation rates is the same one that provides information on the demographic and financial characteristics of families applying for, receiving and exiting from assistance, and are not yet available. The data provided is for the first nine months of FY 1997 (October 1996 - June 1997) when all states were required to continue reporting AFDC data irrespective of their TANF implementation status. These data were reported only for families receiving assistance. All states except Alaska reported the data. Because most states were under TANF for this period, this report uses the term "TANF" although for some months "AFDC" would be more accurate. The information describing the characteristics of TANF families has been central to an understanding of how the population served by AFDC has changed over time. For example, key trends such as the decline in family size and the increasing proportion of children served in the program who were born out-of-wedlock have been identified through this data source. Thus, the statutory requirement placed in TANF for states to report such information will be vital to a continued understanding of the population served by TANF and how it changes over time. Some key characteristics of TANF families at the outset of the program are described , along with how they compare. CHARACTERISTICS OF TANF FAMILIES FOR THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF FISCAL YEAR 1997Length of Time on AssistanceThe median length of time on assistance was 2 years since the most recent opening of the case. One in three families had been on the rolls for one year or less, and one in four had been on the rolls for five years or more. Since FY 1994 there has been a small but steady decline in the percentage of the caseload on assistance in their current spell for one year or less (36% to 33%) and a corresponding increase in the percentage of the caseload on assistance five years or more (19% to 24%). This suggests the long term recipients are an increasing percentage of state caseloads. More than 40 percent of the families are known to have been on the rolls sometime prior to the most recent opening. Payment LevelsFor almost all families, the amount of the TANF payment depends upon the family size, the payment standard in effect and other available income. The monthly TANF payment amount averaged $362 per family in FY 1997, (defined as total caseloads divided by total expenditures). Earned income has significantly increased among welfare recipients. The average earnings per family on welfare has increased by 7 percent, from $466 in FY 1996 to $500 in FY 1997. The percentage of families with earned income has increased steadily from 9 percent in FY 1994 to 13 percent in FY 1997. Fifteen percent of the TANF families had unearned income such as child support. This percentage has not changed in the last 3 years; however, the average monthly amount of unearned income has increased to $267 in 1997 from $221 in 1996 and $190 in 1995. Family Composition and Demographics of CaseloadChild only cases accounted for 23 percent of the TANF caseload. This is a dramatic increase from 10 percent in 1988. The 1997 figure is only one percentage point above the 1996 figure of 22 percent and the absolute number of child only cases actually declined from 1996 to 1997. The annual rate of increase and the absolute number of such families declined somewhat, suggesting that the trend since 1988 (when the percentage of child-only cases was just under ten percent) might be slowing. In 60 percent of the child-only cases, the parent(s) resided in the household and 33 percent of these parents were receiving SSI benefits. The average number of persons in TANF families remained at 2.8 persons in FY 1997. A majority of TANF families continued to live alone. One half of TANF families lived with no other persons in the household. Of those families not living alone, three out of four contained one or two non-recipient persons. About 82 percent of all non-recipients were related to the youngest child in the TANF family; 20 percent were grandparents, 13 percent were siblings, 22 percent were parents or step-parents and 26 percent were other relatives. The TANF families averaged 2 recipient children, which is consistent with the data from recent years. Three in every four families had only one or two children. Seventy percent of families had only one adult recipient (single family head of household), and 7 percent included two or more adult recipients. There was little change in the racial composition of TANF families. Three of five TANF families were members of minority races or ethnic groups. Black families comprised 37 percent of TANF families, white families comprised 36 percent of the families and Hispanic families comprised 23 percent of TANF families. The average age of TANF children averaged about 7.7 years. The average age of TANF children has slightly increased every year from 7.4 in FY 1994. About 5.4 percent of the recipient children were under 1 year of age. One fifth of the recipient children were under 3 years of age, while 42 percent of these children were under 6 years of age. Approximately 10 percent of the children were 15 years of age or older. Nearly all of the TANF adult recipients were the parents of the recipient children. Ninety-seven percent of the adult recipients were natural or adoptive parents. Less than 2 percent were grandparents. Most TANF adults were women. Women comprised 83 percent of TANF adults. There were 201,000 TANF teenage mothers in FY 1997. This represents 5 percent of the female child recipients on TANF. Of the TANF teenage mothers, 19 percent were under 18 years of age, 31 percent were 18 years old and 50 percent were 19 years old. The number of teen mothers under 18 years of age declined from 23% in FY 1994 . ( Historical data suggest that teen mothers 17 and under who gave birth outside of marriage are more likely to go on welfare and spend longer on assistance) Most TANF adults were U.S. citizens. Non-citizens residing legally in this country were 11 percent of TANF adults. One in five families had some countable assets with the average value of $489. The average monthly cash income of all TANF households was $594 in 1997. Appendices: Table 7:3 TANF Families By Receipt of Non-TANF Income, October 1996 - June 1997 Table 7:4 TANF Families with Earned Income By Type of Income, October 1996 - June 1997 Table 7:5 TANF Families with Unearned Income By Type of Income, October 1996 - June 1997 Table 7:12 TANF Families By Race of Natural Or Adoptive Parent, October 1996 - June 1997 Table 7:13 Percent Distribution of TANF Recipient Children By Age, October 1996 - June 1997 Table 7:14 TANF Mothers (Under 20) Of Youngest Child in Family By Age, October 1996 - June 1997 Table 7:16 TANF Families with Countable Assets By Type of Asset, October 1996 - June 1997 |
