Children in South less likely than their Northern counterparts to be raised in two-parent households

Children in northern states are the most likely to be raised in two-parent households, while children in the South are the least likely, David Leonhardt reports for The New York Times. "These patterns are important because evidence suggests that children usually benefit from growing up with two parents. It’s probably not a coincidence, for instance, that the states with more two-parent families also have higher rates of upward mobility."

Utah has the most children—57 percent—raised by their married, biological parents, Leonhardt writes. Following Utah are: Minnesota, 56 percent; Nebraska, 55 percent; New Jersey, 54 percent; New Hampshire and North Dakota, 53 percent; Massachusetts, 52 percent; and Connecticut, Idaho and Iowa, 51 percent.

The lowest rate is in Mississippi, where only 32 percent of children are being raised by their married, biological parents, Leonhardt writes. Also at the bottom of the list are: Louisiana, 36 percent; Arkansas, 37 percent; Alabama, 38 percent; Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and South Carolina, 39 percent; and Tennessee, 40 percent. (NYT map: Percent of children in two-parent households. For an interactive version, click here)