According to American Community Survey Three-Year Estimates between 2006 and 2008, 22,310 residents of Spartanburg County were classified as divorced during this time frame.  This figure is higher for females than for males in Spartanburg County (12,479 versus 9,831, respectively).  Divorced residents represent 10.1% of the total Spartanburg County population.

However, Spartanburg County has a slightly higher percentage of family households headed by married-couples (51.2%) than peer counties, the state and the nation (Table 9).

For young children during the 2006-2008 period, 32.7% of South Carolina children under age 6 lived in female-headed households with no husband present.  This was somewhat higher than the US average of 31.4%.  These measures cannot be disaggregated by SC county for children under age 6 because of the potential for sampling error; however the state rates are likely generally reflective of individual county rates.

Another indicator of family composition is births to single mothers.  In 2006, 37.2% of Spartanburg County babies were born to single mothers.  This is the lowest rate among peer counties, the state and the nation.  However, there is a significant disparity by race for babies born to single mothers with 71% of Spartanburg County’s African American and other non-white babies born to single mothers and 26% of white babies born to single mothers (Table 10).

Significant numbers of Grandparents in Spartanburg County are responsible for the welfare of their grandchildren.  The same social phenomenon holds true for peer counties, the state and the nation.  Grandparents who are raising grandchildren experience poverty at a higher rate than their contemporaries who are not raising grandchildren.  In fact, 29.6% of Spartanburg County grandparents who are raising grandchildren have below-poverty level incomes.  Poverty rates are higher for younger grandparents (35.9% for grandparents age 30-59) than older grandparents (16.7% for grandparents over age 60).

In Spartanburg County approximately 6% of children live in foster care. As of June 2007, 258 Spartanburg County Children were living in Foster Care (Figure 3). By age, children under the age of five years represent the largest group currently in foster care in the service area.