Table 5.

Socioeconomic characteristics of cohabitors by type of cohabiting union

	Unmarried Partner Unionsa	Newly Identified Householder Unionsb	Subfamily Unionsc	Total
	(%)	(%)	(%)	(%)
A. Education and Employment
Educational attainment
Both < high school	6.8	6.4	14.4*	7.3
One < high school, no college graduate	14.6	14.5	21.3*	15.0
Both high school graduate or some college	50.5	48.5	53.2	50.5
One college graduate (4 yrs.)	17.4	16.5	7.1*	16.6
Both college graduate (4 yrs.)	10.6	14.1*	4.0*	10.6
Female more educated	28.6	29.2	26.5	28.5
Enrolled in school (either)	8.1	7.4	12.7*	8.3
Female works full-time	55.2	53.6	42.4*	54.1
Male works full-time	68.9	65.2	62.1*	68.0
B. Poverty Status of Couples
Couple poverty level: 2006–2008
0–99 % of poverty threshold	9.9	10.8	22.0*	10.9
100–199 %	18.3	14.6*	29.3*	18.5
200–299 %	18.0	22.3*	18.3	18.5
300%+	53.8	52.3	30.4*	52.1
Total family poverty level: 2006–2008
0–99 % of poverty threshold	9.6	10.2	8.9	9.6
100–199 %	18.6	15.5*	18.7	18.3
200–299 %	17.9	22.4*	21.5	18.7
300 %+	53.8	51.9	50.9	53.4
C. Financial Assistance
Couple receives regular financial assistance  from outside household	2.4	1.5	0.8*	2.2
Unweighted n (couples)	7334	936	524	8,794

Note: The unit of analysis is the couple.

^aUnions between the householder and a person identified as their unmarried partner.

^bNewly identified unions between the householder and a person identified as a roommate or other nonrelative.

^cNewly identified unions between two persons who are not householders.

Source: Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey, 2007–2009.

^*Significantly different from estimate for unmarried partners (p < .05)