MADISON –This week, the Family Structure Index, measuring the strength and stability of family life in all 50 states, was released by the Center for Christian Virtue and the Institute for Family Studies.

This Index offers a snapshot of how family trends are shaping outcomes for children, communities, and local economies.

Wisconsin’s ranking improves slightly from last year moving from 24th to 21st in family culture. However, while Wisconsin overall moved up in the national rankings, compared to the previous report, our prime-aged married adults’ rate and fertility rate actually declined.

Wisconsin Family Action President Daniel Degner said, “Families are Wisconsin’s greatest natural resource. For our state to thrive, both our churches and our government must champion these foundational institutions of marriage and family.”

Findings from the report point to a consistent pattern: states with stronger families tend to see lower poverty rates, better educational outcomes and safer communities. Conversely, declines in marriage and increases in single-parent households are closely tied to long-term economic and social challenges.

Degner notes, “The path to a stronger Wisconsin begins with our leaders prioritizing public policy that supports good marriages and families. Wisconsin Family Action stands ready to work with anyone who seeks to put families first.”

Developed by Brad Wilcox, Professor of Sociology and Director of the National Marriage Project of the University of Virginia in partnership with Center for Christian Virtue and the Institute for Family Studies, the Index focuses on the share of adult residents of a state who are married, have children, and raise those children together through the child’s high-school years.

For Wisconsin, the index showed the following:

  • 55.3% of adults aged 25 to 54 in Wisconsin are married.
  • 65.1% of children in Wisconsin live with their married birth or adoptive parents at ages 15 to 17.
  • The average number of lifetime births per woman in the Wisconsin is just 1.62 (the Total Fertility Rate). Replacement fertility rate is 2.1.

The full report is available atFamilyStructureIndex.org.