Kids Count Data and Research Reports

These resources use Kids Count data to explore the well-being of children across the United States. They include the Kids Count/Population Reference Bureau series of Reports on Census 2000. See all Kids Count Publications and Resources.

KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot: Youth Incarceration in the United States

In this KIDS COUNT data snapshot, the Casey Foundation finds that the rate of young people locked up because they were in trouble with the law dropped more than 40 percent over a 15-year period, with no decrease in public safety. The snapshot indicates that the number of young people in correctional facilities on a single day fell to 70,792 in 2010, from a high of 107,637 in 1995. The publication also recommends ways to continue reducing reliance on incarceration and improve the odds for young people involved in the juvenile justice system. more >>

View PDF

Youth and Work: Restoring Teen and Young Adult Connections to Opportunity

In this KIDS COUNT policy report, the Casey Foundation finds that nearly 6.5 million U.S. teens and young adults are neither in school nor in the workforce. With employment among young people at its lowest levels since the 1950s, these youth are veering toward chronic unemployment as adults and failing to gain the skills employers need in the 21st century. In addition to new national and state data on the issue, the report offers recommendations to support youth in gaining a stronger foothold in the economy. more >>

View PDF

Stepping Up for Kids: What Government and Communities Should Do to Support Kinship Families

In this policy report, the Annie E. Casey Foundation explores the increased number of children living with extended family and close friends, a longtime practice known as kinship care. "Stepping Up for Kids: What Government and Communities Should Do to Support Kinship Families" includes the latest data for states, the District of Columbia, and the nation, as well as a set of recommendations on how to support kinship families. more >>

View PDF

KIDSCOUNT Data Snapshot on Children Living in High-Poverty Communities

This Data Snapshot highlights newly available national, state, and city data in the KIDS COUNT Data Center that shows a 25 percent increase in the number of children residing in areas of concentrated poverty since 2000. The snapshot indicates how high-poverty communities are harmful to children, outlines regions in which concentrated poverty has grown the most, and offers recommendations to address these issues.  more >>

View PDF

The Changing Child Population of the United States: Analysis of Data from the 2010 Census

This paper explores the nation’s changing child population based on data from the 2010 census. While the number of U.S. children increased only slightly, the demographic shifts within the population were considerable. Some areas of the country (Nevada and Texas) and some demographic groups (including children of mixed race) grew significantly, while the number of children in other areas (Vermont and New York) and in other groups (such as non-Hispanic whites) declined. more >>

View PDF

KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot on Foster Care Placement

This Data Snapshot highlights newly available data on the KIDS COUNT Data Center marking the progress made by many states to increase the rates of children in foster care who are living with families and decrease the rates of those placed in institutions or group homes. The data also show that the type of foster care placement varies depending on the age of the child as well as the state of residence. more >>

View PDF

Ranking States on Improvement in Child Well-Being Since 2000: KIDS COUNT

This report uses KIDS COUNT indicators to assess increases and decreases in absolute child well-being for each state since 2000. The authors’ primarily focus on the five-year changes from 2000 to 2005 and compares those changes to trends in the previous two five-year periods. more >>

View PDF

Why Are Young Children Missed So Often in the Census?

A 2009 study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds children under age 10 to be missed more than any other population group in the decennial census. Census counts are used for more than 140 programs that distribute more than $400 billion to states and localities. more >>

View PDF

Trying Out A Real Time Advocacy Self-Evaluation Process: Guidance and Considerations for KIDS COUNT Grantees

In 2006, Organizational Research Services developed a guide that explored how to evaluate advocacy and policy work as well as a framework to identify outcomes associated with advocacy. This follow-up brief describes how advocates can implement real-time self evaluation approaches to document their work. more >>

View PDF

Data on Children in Foster Care from the Census Bureau

This paper provides the first systematic examination of data regarding children in foster care collected by the U. S. Census Bureau. The first part of the paper discusses quality and usefulness of the data on foster children derived from the Census Bureau’s Decennial Census and American Community Survey (ACS). The second part of the paper uses the 2006 ACS to provide data on the characteristics of non-kinship family foster care households compared to all households with children. Overall, comparisons based on Census Bureau data show that households with foster children are disadvantaged compared to all households with children. more >>

View PDF

States Ranked on the Basis of the Condition of Children in Low-income Families

This KIDS COUNT Working Paper ranks all 50 states in terms of the condition of children living in low-income families. The report uses 29 state-level indicators from one year (2003) of two new data sources - the National Survey of Children’s Health and the American Community Survey. This new information is an important look at a target population that is often the focus of public policies to improve the lives of children.    more >>

View PDF

Data Snapshot: The Growing Problem of Preterm Births

In 2004, one in eight babies in the United States was born preterm, or before the 37th week of pregnancy. Using data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT State-Level Data Online System, this snapshot highlights the growing problem of preterm births. more >>

View PDF

Data Snapshot: One Out of Five U.S. Children is Living in an Immigrant Family

Using data from the KIDS COUNT State Level Data Online System, this snapshot highlights the 15.7 million children in immigrant families currently residing in the U.S. and includes background on why it is critical to help this growing group of children as well as resources for improving the well-being of children living in immigrant families. more >>

View PDF

State Fact Sheets on the Health and Well-Being of America's Children

These four-page fact sheets compare indicators of health and well-being for children in low-income and higher-income families, based on data from the American Community Survey and the National Survey of Children's Health. Data for these fact sheets were compiled by staff at Child Trends and the Population Reference Bureau in August 2006. more >>

Factors Affecting State Differences in Child Well-Being

Despite the fact that there is enormous variation in child well-being across the states, little systematic research has been done to explain why states differ on this measure. The current study extends existing research in this area by testing whether there is a relationship between child well-being and state characteristics, including population composition and policy differences across states. The study uses the state-level index, on which the rankings from the KIDS COUNT Data Book are based, as the measure of child well-being. more >>

View PDF

Testing the Validity of the KIDS COUNT State-Level Index of Child Well-Being: A KIDS COUNT Working Paper

Findings from the 10 measure KIDS COUNT index of child well being are compared with the 25 item quality-of-life index done by the Foundation for Child Development. Results show that the KIDS COUNT index provides a good approximation of children’s overall quality of life across the 50 states, with a high correlation between the state rankings based on the two indices. more >>

View PDF

Border Kids Count: A Snapshot of Children Living on Mexico's Northern Border (in Spanish)

This report provides a close look at the Mexico and U.S. border region as it pertains to the 2 million children living in Mexico's northern border region -- defined as the 37 border cities within Mexico's six northern states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas. more >>

View PDF

Trends in Maternal and Child Health Indicators in Making Connections Sites

This paper reviews rates and trends in Casey's Making Connections initiative sites for three key social indicators: teen births, low birth-weight babies, and prenatal care. more >>

View PDF

A KIDS COUNT/PRB Report on Census 2000: The Concentration of Negative Child Outcomes in Low-Income Neighborhoods

At the end of the 20th century, one in five children in the United States lived in neighborhoods where at least 20 percent of the population lived in poverty. This brief analyzes 2000 Census data and finds that, not surprisingly, negative child outcomes are highly concentrated in poor neighborhoods. more >>

View PDF

Census 2000: The Risk of Negative Child Outcomes in Low-Income Families

This report presents information for a broad range of income brackets in order to compare the relative risks for children living in different types of families. more >>

View PDF

Border Kids Count: A Snapshot of Children Living on Mexico's Northern Border

This report provides a close look at the Mexico and U.S. border region as it pertains to the 2 million children living in Mexico's northern border region -- defined as the 37 border cities within Mexico's six northern states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas. more >>

View PDF

Vulnerable Youth: Recent Trends

The purpose of this paper is to update and extend this kind of information by providing national and state-level trend data on an expanded set of groups of vulnerable youth. more >>

View PDF

Data Snapshot: Teen Motherhood at Record Low in United States

Using data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT State-Level Data Online System, this snapshot highlights the decline of teen motherhood in the United States. more >>

View PDF

Data Snapshot: State Differences in Rates of Overweight or Obese Youth

Using data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT State-Level Data Online System, this snapshot highlights the problem of obese and overweight youth. more >>

View PDF

AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY: Evaluating Accuracy

In 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau launched its new American Community Survey (ACS) in 3 million households nationwide. Because the ACS will replace the once-a-decade census long form, it is important to have confidence in the accuracy of the data. This report examines key measures of ACS data quality, and offers recommendations to improve the accuracy of ACS data on children. more >>

View PDF

KIDS COUNT State-Level: Teen Motherhood at Record Low in United States

The data snapshot explores the decline in the number of teen mothers in the United States.  Although teen motherhood rates have dropped across all major race groups, American-Indian, African-American, and Latino teens are still two to four times as likely as Non-Hispanic White and Asian-Pacific Islander teens to bear a child before entering adulthood. Teen childbearing can have long-term negative effects on both the adolescent mother and the newborn. more >>

View MHT

Over Half of Low-Income Children Live With a Parent Who Works Regularly

This Data Snapshot provides information on low-income working families, background on the barriers parents face to provide for their families, state-by-state rankings, and resources for helping working families suceed. more >>

View PDF

Census 2000: Counting Kids in Census 2000-Results and Challenges

This report strives to provide the basis for further discussion about how to improve the count of children in the census. more >>

View PDF

An Assessment of State-Level Data on Child Maltreatment and Foster Care: Summary of a Meeting of Experts

This report summarizes a meeting of experts on child maltreatment and foster care data systems to address the following issue: Are data currently available from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and the Adoption and Foster care Data Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) suitable for inclusion in either the annually published KIDS COUNT Data Book or in some other medium? more >>

View PDF

City Profiles of Child Well-Being: Results from the American Community Survey

This report highlights the well-being of children living the 50 largest cities in the United States using data from the American Community Survey. more >>

View PDF

State Rankings on the Well-Being of Children in Low-Income Families: Some Preliminary Findings

This paper expands on the efforts of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual KIDS COUNT Data Book to provide estimates and rankings of states based on 10 key indicators of child well-being. In this paper the state-level differences in the well-being of low-income children are examined using data from the 2003 American Community Survey. more >>

View PDF

Indicators and Indices of Child Well-Being: A Brief History

This KIDS COUNT Working Paper provides a history of the use of indicators of child well-being from the Social Indicators Movement of the 1960s through today. more >>

View PDF

Border KIDS COUNT Pocket Guide: A Snapshot of Children Living on the Southwest Border

This pocket guide presents the characteristics of the Southwest U.S. border population state-by-state and county-by-county, including information on: Population and demographic characteristics, Health, Parental Employment, Education, Language fluency, Foreign-born status and time of arrival and Poverty Rates. more >>

View PDF

Children in Immigrant Families: U.S. and State-Level Findings from the 2000 Census

The publication focuses on the 13.5 million children growing up in immigrant families in the United States. The 2000 Census counted 5.2 million more children in immigrant families than in 1990, a 63 percent increase. This publication includes information on a variety of child well-being and demographic indicators for children in immigrant families for the nation as a whole and the individual states. more >>

View PDF

Border Kids Count Pocket Guide: A Snapshot of Children Living on the Southwest Border [in Spanish]

This pocket guide provides a brief overview of data on children living on the Southwest Border in Spanish. Topics addressed in this pocket guide include: demographics, health, parental employment, education, language fluency, foreign-born status and time of arrival, and poverty rates. more >>

View PDF

Asian-American Children Pocket Guide

This pocket guide provides statistics on economic, educational, and social well-being for Asian-American children and highlights gaps that persist between Asian-American children and non-Hispanic white children in the United States. Derived from the 2000 Census, this booklet contains a national overview and state-by-state data. more >>

View Toolkits or Guide

Ranking States Based on Improvement in Child Well-Being During the 1990s

In this paper, the ten measures used in the KIDS COUNT Data Book to rank states are examined in terms of improvements in overall child well-being in states during the 1990s. The ten measures are combined into a single index and states are ranked based on the change in that index between 1990 and 2000. While most states (46 out of 50) improved during the 1990s, there are substantial differences among the states. California exhibited the biggest improvement during the 1990s (up 23 percent) followed closely by Maryland and New Jersey (up 21 percent each). Nebraska and Wisconsin experienced slight declines in overall well-being while Kansas and North Dakota showed no change over the decade. more >>

View PDF

Perceptions and Misperceptions of America's Children: The Role of the Print Media -- A KIDS COUNT Working Paper

This report ascertains the misperceptions about America's poor as relayed by the print media. The dearth of statistical information included in most newspaper stories regarding selected children’s issues, may help explain why the American public is not more aware of recent improvements in child well-being. more >>

View PDF

The Growing Number of Kids in Severely Distressed Neighborhoods: Evidence from the 2000 Census

This publication focuses on the 4.4 million children growing up in severely distressed neighborhoods. Despite the booming economy of the 1990s the number of children living in severely distressed neighborhoods increased by over 30 percent during the 1990s, putting more children at risk of growing up without the crucial supports they need to thrive. more >>

View PDF

Latino Children Pocket Guide: State-Level Measures of Child Well-Being From the 2000 Census

This guide provides statistics on economic, educational, and social well-being for minority children and highlights gaps that persist between minority kids and non-Hispanic white children in the United States. Derived from the 2000 Census, this booklet contains a national overview, state-by-state data, and state rankings. more >>

View Toolkits or Guide

Recent Changes in the Percent of Children Living in Single-Mother Families: A KIDS COUNT Working Paper

This report focuses on the fact that after more than 40 years of constant increases, the share of children living in single-mother families leveled off in the mid-1990s and actually decreased late in the decade. Recent changes in family structure among several demographic subgroups are examined and several possible reasons for changes in the mid-1990s are discussed. more >>

View PDF

Teen Births in America’s Largest Cities: 1990 and 2000

This publication provides teen birth rates in the U.S. in 1990 and 2000 for the 100 largest cities (those with populations above 190,000 in 2000). There is enormous variation in teen birth rates across the country. The teen birth rate in Miami (174 birth per 1,000 teens) is more than ten times the rate in Glendale, California (17 per 1,000 teens). The data also show that the teen birth rate fell in the vast majority of big cities during the 1990s more >>

View PDF

Kids Count Pocket Guide: American-Indian Children

This pocket guide provides a brief overview of data on American-Indian children released from the 2000 Census. Topics addressed in this pocket guide include: demographics, families and households, income and poverty, education, employment, and neighborhood characteristics. more >>

View PDF

Assessing the KIDS COUNT Composite Index: A KIDS COUNT Working Paper

The study compares changes over time in a national index based on the 10 KIDS COUNT indicators to changes in an index based on 28 indicators of child well-being and another index based on 36 indicators of child well-being. more >>

View PDF

State Profiles of Child Well-being: Results from the 2000 Census

A PRB/KIDS COUNT report that provides a series of one-page profiles of child well-being for each state and the District of Columbia, based on data from the 1990 and 2000 Decennial Censuses. These profiles can be used to look at trends in child well-being, to compare the status of children between states, or to compare child well-being in one state to the nation as a whole. more >>

View PDF

Children in American Samoa: Results of the 2000 Census

This KIDS COUNT/PRB report provides an overview of children in American Samoa, based on data from the 2000 U.S. Census. It documents the situation of these children, how it compares with conditions of children in neighboring territories and in the nation as a whole, and how the characteristics of children have changed over time. more >>

View PDF

Preliminary Research on Family Strengths: KIDS COUNT Working Paper

This preliminary work is intended to serve as a first step in developing an operational definition of strong families. It draws on research and writing from a wide array of perspectives in hopes of developing a definition of the term that is widely accepted. more >>

View PDF

A KIDS COUNT/PRB Report Census 2000: American Indian and Alaska Native Children in the 2000 Census

This report presents the first data for American Indians from the 2000 Census which can be used to monitor the size and characteristics of the American Indian population living on reservations, as well as the growing number of people outside of reservations who identify themselves as American Indian. more >>

View PDF

Children At Risk: State Trends 1990-2000

This report presents data intended to illuminate state-by-state trends in the well-being of America’s children from 1990-2000. The data focus on eleven indicators of child well-being that are believed to reflect a wide range of factors affecting child welfare.  more >>

View PDF

KIDS COUNT Snapshot - Connecting Kids to Technology: Challenges and Opportunities

This KIDS COUNT Snapshot examines the demographics of the digital divide, discusses some implications of current trends, and highlights a few efforts to bridge the divide and provide a level playing field for all children. more >>

View PDF

The Undercount in the 2000 Census

Research has shown that the decennial census fails to count all residents, and that census undercount rates differ by age, sex, and race. This report summarizes what is known about census undercount and the methods used to adjust census data, with an emphasis on the undercount of children and minorities. more >>

View PDF

KIDS COUNT Snapshot - Disconnected Kids: Children Without a Phone at Home

This KIDS COUNT Snapshot draws on data from the Census Bureau’s Annual March 2001 Current Population Survey to show the trends of children in households without an available phone. The approach used in this study offers a framework for looking more broadly at patterns of advantage and disadvantage by examining the specific drawbacks associated with being poor or isolated. more >>

View PDF

The Child Population: First Data from the 2000 Census

This KIDS COUNT/PRB report provides an overview of American children based on the first data released from the 2000 Census. Detailing some of the key demographic shifts in the 1990s, the report is intended to supplement a series of briefs the Census Bureau is publishing based on the first results from the 2000 Census. more >>

View PDF

A KIDS COUNT/PRB Report on Census 2000: The Road to Census 2000, A Chronology of Key Issues

This report is a chronology of activities and controversies that affected the design, operations, cost, content, and results of Census 2000. more >>

View PDF

Using the New Racial Categories in the 2000 Census

This KIDS COUNT/PRB report addresses some of the main issues that data users will face in using, interpreting, and presenting the new racial data provided by the 2000 Census’ multiracial option. more >>

View PDF

A KIDS COUNT/PRB Report on Census 2000: A First Look at Children in the U.S. Virgin Islands

This data book reports on several indicators of well-being for children in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The data focus on health, safety, school retention rates, economic well-being, teenage births, and female-headed households.  more >>

View PDF

High-Risk Kids in America During the 1990s: Executive Summary

This reports charts the reduction in the number of high-risk children in United States in the 1990s. more >>

View PDF

Profile of Navajo Children from the 2000 Census

This profile includes statistics on children living in poverty, children living in low-income households, single parent households, head of household is high school drop-out, living under care of grandparents, teenage drop-out rate, pre-school enrollment, and teens not working or in school. more >>

View PDF

Profile of Cheyenne Children from the 2000 Census

This page profiles indicators of child well-being from the 2000 U.S. Census for children in the Cheyenne Tribe. more >>

View PDF

Profile of Chickasaw Children from the 2000 Census

This page profiles indicators of child well-being from the 2000 U.S. Census for children in the Chickasaw Tribe. more >>

View PDF

Kids Count: A Snapshot of Children on the New Mexico Border

This brief provides statistics on children in New Mexico. It briefly discusses the gaps in economic, education, and social well-being. It also provides some recommendations as to how to improve the outreach of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) initiative, health of children in New Mexico, linkage to services, and family strengthening. more >>

View Toolkits or Guide