More is Less? The Impact of Family Size on Education Outcomes in the United States, 1850–1940

Abstract

Was there a tradeoff between family size and education during the demographic transition in the United States? Exploiting the occurrence of twin births as a source of exogenous variation in family size, I find that an additional sibling reduces the likelihood of attending school by 1 to 2 percentage points. To evaluate the persistence of family size effects, I create a linked sample of boys between 1920–1940. Individuals raised in larger families accumulate less human capital by adulthood. However, the impact of family size is quantitatively small relative to the average level of education in the population.