New KIDS COUNT Index Reveals Where States Are Making Progress for Children
Education losses and rising child deaths continue to threaten child well-being nationwide
The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book today. This 37th edition introduces a new way to measure child well-being that shows not only how states compare with one another, but whether they are making meaningful progress for children over time.
For the first time, the Data Book assigns every state a score from 0 to 1,000 based on 16 indicators across four domains of child well-being: Economic Well-Being, Education, Health and Family and Community. The scores are based on the latest available child well-being data, largely from 2024. Anchored to a 2019 baseline — the last full year before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted children’s lives — the enhanced KIDS COUNT Index allows states to track whether outcomes have improved or declined over time and better understand whether policies and public investments are delivering results for kids.
Nationally, the United States received an overall score of 547.
“Behind every number in this report is a child who is either hungry or fed, housed or homeless, progressing academically or falling behind,” said Lisa Lawson, president and CEO of the Casey Foundation. “No state is consistently getting this right. The Data Book challenges us to follow the evidence and do what delivers results.”
Progress Is Uneven Across the Country
The new scoring system reveals a more nuanced picture of child well-being than rankings alone.
New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Utah earned the highest overall scores, while Louisiana, New Mexico and Mississippi scored lowest. But that’s not the full story; the new index also shows that progress is possible in every state. Even New Hampshire, the nation’s top-performing state with a score of 838, has room for improvement, while several lower-ranked states posted significant gains between 2019 and 2024.
Overall, child well-being declined in 29 states, improved in 15 states and remained stable in six states.
Education Losses Drove a National Decline
Nationally, the sharpest domain decline occurred in Education, where the national score dropped from 518 to 417. It remains the weakest-performing domain nationwide, with 47 states experiencing setbacks since 2019. Only Louisiana and Mississippi improved education scores during that period.
Nationally, 70% of fourth graders were not proficient in reading in 2024, up from 66% in 2019, while 73% of eighth graders were not proficient in math, compared with 67% before the pandemic. These declines underscore the continuing effects of pandemic-related learning disruptions and the urgent need to help students recover lost ground.
Health and Economic Challenges Continue
The report also points to ongoing concerns in children’s health and family finances.
The child and teen death rate increased from 25 deaths per 100,000 young people in 2019 to 27 per 100,000 in 2024, although the rate has improved during the past two years. Increases since 2019 have been driven largely by deaths involving firearms, motor vehicles and drug overdoses.
Housing affordability also worsened. The share of children living in households burdened by high housing costs rose from 30% to 31%, affecting 22.4 million children and marking the first increase in this measure since 2010.
Meanwhile, health insurance coverage slipped after temporary pandemic-era policies ended. In 2024, 4.7 million children lacked health insurance, limiting access to preventive care and other essential health services.
Bright Spots Show What’s Possible
Despite these challenges, several indicators continued long-term positive trends.
The share of children living in high-poverty neighborhoods fell 22%, representing approximately 1.3 million fewer children living in those communities compared with a decade earlier. The teen birth rate also declined 24% between 2019 and 2024 and has fallen nearly 80% since 1990.
The Family and Community domain was the strongest area of progress nationally, improving from 518 to 608. Forty-five states improved, driven largely by reductions in teen births and the number of children living in high-poverty neighborhoods.
State Examples Show the Impact of Policy
This year’s Data Book highlights how policy choices can improve the lives of children.
Although New Mexico ranks 49th overall, its score improved by 22 points between 2019 and 2024, fueled largely by gains in Economic Well-Being. Advocates used KIDS COUNT data to help make the case for expanding the state’s child tax credit, helping families afford essentials such as housing, food and childcare.
Mississippi ranks 50th overall but made notable gains in Education, improving by 17 points in that domain. Investments in literacy, teacher training, early childhood education and the state’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act have contributed to stronger academic outcomes. Mississippi now ranks 16th nationally in Education.
South Carolina recorded the largest overall improvement of any state, increasing its score by 38 points between 2019 and 2024.
Data That Drive Action
The 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book reinforces a central lesson: Outcomes for children are not inevitable; they are shaped by policy choices, public investments and community conditions.
The enhanced KIDS COUNT Index provides leaders with a clearer picture of where children are thriving, where they are struggling and where targeted action can have the greatest effect. By tracking both rankings and progress over time, the new scoring system offers a stronger tool for improving the lives of children and families across the country.
Explore the full 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book and state-by-state data
