Children living with cohabiting, unmarried parents are more likely to be poor, food insecure, read to infrequently, and exhibit behavioral problems than children living with married couples but less likely to be poor and food insecure than those living with a single mother. However, between 1997 and 1999, children living with cohabiting parents experienced an 11.2 percentage point decline in poverty -- a far greater decline that the 3.2 point drop overall. Increases in work effort, particularly among mothers, is the most significant factor behind this decline in poverty.