Half of new unwed mothers in poverty.(NATION)

Byline: Joyce Howard Price, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Half of unmarried women who gave birth in the United States in the past year lived below the poverty level, compared with 12 percent of married mothers, U.S. Census Bureau data show.

Data also show that the majority of mothers in both populations are in the work force, according to a report titled, "Indicators of Marriage and Fertility in the United States From the American Community Survey: 2000 to 2003."

The bureau's analysis, based on a sample of more than 3 million households, is the first to examine issues such as marriage, fertility and socioeconomic characteristics on a state-by-state basis. …