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2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book Online

Ranking States on Composite Index
Data from all 10 key indicators are used to develop a composite index of child well-being for each state. The Overall Rank Table and Map show how states rank, based on the 10-item index.

The state that ranks highest (best), based on the composite index, is New Hampshire. Vermont ranks second, and Connecticut ranks third. The three states at the bottom of the ranking are Mississippi, Louisiana, and New Mexico.

The Overall Rank Map also reflects a couple of regional overtones. The New England states and a group of states in the Northern Plains all rank relatively high. Except for Rhode Island, all of the New England states rank in the top 11. Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin are all ranked in the top 14.

At the other end of the spectrum, states in the South and Southwest dominate the lower part of the ranking. The bottom 15 states are all located in the South or Southwest.

There are currently ten KIDS COUNT measures: percent low birth-weight babies; infant mortality rate; child death rate; rate of teen deaths by accident, homicide, and suicide; teen birth rate; percent of children living with parents who do not have full-time, year-round employment; percent of teens who are high school dropouts; percent of teens not attending school and not working; percent of children in poverty; and percent of families with children headed by a single-parent. The Data Book also provides background information for each state, including demographic and family income data.