The Subcommittee on Human Resources of the House Committee on Ways and Means asked the General Accounting Office for information on who is currently receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and whether the characteristics of this population have changed in recent years. This report presents information on changes in the characteristics of female-headed families receiving AFDC between 1976 and 1992. The following data sources were used: the Bureau of the Census' 1992 March Current Population Survey (CPS) from 1976 to 1992; Department of Health and Human Serivces' (HHS) National Integrated Quality Control System data, from 1986 to 1992; and other Census data in published reports. In this period the proportion of single women receiving AFDC who have never been married more than doubled, increasing from about 21 percent to about 52 percent. This change paralleled a broader societal trend among all single mothers. Among all single mothers, the proportion who never married almost tripled over the same period. In comparison with 1976, single women receiving AFDC in 1992 were more likely to have finished high school and to have fewer children. However, single women receving AFDC in 1992 were poorer than in 1976, even though they worked in about the same proportions. Total family income declined sharply for these women as a result of declines in the real value of earnings and AFDC benefits. Policy implications of these findings are considered. Three figures present study findings. Three appendices provide 2 tables and 22 figures to detail the report and a list of major contributors to the report. A glossary of terms is provided. (Contains six references and three related GAO products.) (SLD)