This paper aims to describe the rapid growth of the one-person households in terms of the socio-economic demographic perspectives during the period of 1995-2005 and to analyze the spatial distribution patterns based on different characteristics of one-person households. The increase in the divorce ratio in the middle-aged, the growth of unmarried people the young generation, and the increase of life expectancy in the old generation are explanatory factors for the rise and diversification of one-person households in Korea. The rapid increase of one-person households is accompanied by a diversification in their age, gender, marital status, education level. Uneven distribution of one-person households depends on their age, level of education and dwelling type. Highly educated young adults residing in their own apartment are generally concentrated in major cities, whereas senior citizen with their own single house who lives alone are mostly in rural area. One-person households of the highly educated young adults are significantly polarized in the light of their the living standards. In particular, metropolitan area or big cities are mixed with those who have their own apartment and are financially capacity and with those who rent in a detached single house. As such, one-person households have considerably heterogeneous characteristics. Therefore, each local government will face different economic and social problems based on which group of one-person households are increasing and where they are concentrated in. To this extent, the local government should have differentiated welfare policy according to its own respect.