The $154 Billion Man: The Economic Argument for Investing in Fathers
Authored by National Fatherhood Initiative® and the Center for Policy Research, this report updates NFI’s landmark 2006 study by examining federal spending associated with father-absent households. Using federal budget data and the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the report finds that in 2018 the U.S. spent $154.2 billion—about 4% of the federal budget—across 14 major assistance programs supporting children and mothers in father-absent households, a 54.5% increase since 2006.
