Abstract
U.S. household structures have changed dramatically since the pinnacle of the post-World War II baby boom, around 1960 (US Census 2018), when single parents housed about 9% of children. Single parent homes now house 23% of U.S. children (Kramer 2019), the highest rate in the world consisting of more than 20 million youths (Pew 2015). This study extends the literature on impacts of parental egression by estimating the long-term effects on bachelor’s degree attainment, personal income, and arrest history. A newly released data set from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health was used in combination with ordinary least squares, logit, and propensity score matching estimations. Results suggest youth that experience parental egression are 13% to 15% more likely to have been arrested and earn 55% to 63% less personal income than children from two-parent homes in early adulthood, however by middle-age, the effects are insignificant. This study supports the literature finding negative impact from parental egression on long-term outcomes although some dissipate.