More Than a Trillion a Decade

Something two years old but which I just came across and post for those interested:  The Taxpayer Costs of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing , a report claiming that these problems cost taxpayers a huge amount of money, much of which could be saved by programs supporting marriage. According to the executive summary:

Research on family structure suggests a variety of mechanisms, or processes, through which marriage may reduce the need for costly social programs . . . . Based on the methodology, we estimate that family fragmentation costs U.S. taxpayers at least $112 billion each and every year, or more than $1 trillion each decade . . . .

These costs arise from increased taxpayer expenditures for antipoverty, criminal justice, and education programs, and through lower levels of taxes paid by individuals who, as adults, earn less because of reduced opportunities as a result of having been more likely to grow up in poverty . . . .

[E]ven very small increases in stable marriage rates as a result of government programs or community efforts to strengthen marriage would result in very large savings for taxpayers. If the federal marriage initiative, for example, succeeds in reducing family fragmentation by just 1 percent, U.S. taxpayers will save an estimated $1.1 billion each and every year.

Because of the modest price tags associated with most federal and state marriages strengthening programs, and the large taxpayer costs associated with divorce and unwed childbearing, even modest success rates would be cost-effective.

The report was produced by the  Institute for American Values (directed by David Blenkenhorn), the  Institute for Marriage and Public Policy (directed by Maggie Gallagher), and other groups.