The 31st edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT® Data Book describes how children across the United States were faring before the coronavirus pandemic began.
This year’s publication continues to deliver the Foundation’s annual state rankings and the latest available data on child well-being. It also identifies multi-year trends — comparing statistics from 2010 to 2018. As always, policymakers, researchers and advocates can continue using this information to help shape their work and build a stronger future for children, families and communities.
Data over a recent period of eight or so years reveal encouraging trends in child well-being nationally, with improvements documented in 11 out of the 16 indicators.
In 2018 — the latest year of data available — more parents were economically secure and lived without a high housing cost burden. In addition, more teens graduated from high school and delayed childbearing and children’s health insurance coverage continued to be something to celebrate.
Broadly speaking, kids nationwide experienced gains in the Economic Well-Being domain and promising-but-mixed results in the Health, Education, and Family and Community domains. The positive strides realized — driven by effective policies and achieved before the coronavirus pandemic — serve as an encouraging reminder that the nation can advance the substantial work now needed to improve the prospects of its youngest generation.
This year, New England states hold two of the top three spots for overall child well-being. Massachusetts ranks first, followed by New Hampshire and Minnesota. Louisiana (48th), Mississippi (49th) and New Mexico (50th) are the three lowest-ranked states.
States in Appalachia, as well as the Southeast and Southwest — where families have the lowest levels of household income — populate the bottom of the overall rankings. In fact, except for California and Alaska, the 18 lowest-ranked states are in these regions.
Despite documented gains for children of all races and income levels, the nation’s racial inequities proved deep and stubbornly persistent during the reporting period, according to the data. The nation failed to provide African American, American Indian and Latino children with the support necessary to thrive while states failed to dismantle barriers facing many children of color. Not surprisingly, nearly all index measures indicated that children with the same potential experienced disparate outcomes.
Black children were significantly more likely to live in single-parent families and high-poverty neighborhoods. American Indian kids were almost three times more likely than the average child to lack health insurance and live in resource-limited neighborhoods. And Latino children ran the greatest risk of not attending school when they were young and living with a head of household who lacked a high school diploma.
View the national data profile (also available in Spanish) or download your state's data profile as a PDF below:
The Foundation derives a composite index of overall child well-being for each state by combining data across four domains: (1) Economic Well-Being, (2) Education, (3) Health and (4) Family and Community. These composite scores are then translated into a state ranking for child well-being.
New England states hold the first two of the top three spots in overall child well-being. Massachusetts ranks first, followed by New Hampshire and Minnesota. Louisiana (48th), Mississippi (49) and New Mexico (50) are the three lowest-ranked states.
Five of the top 10 states in overall child well-being are in the Northeast, including Vermont (fifth), Connecticut (sixth) and New Jersey (eighth). Other top-10 states include Utah (fourth), North Dakota (seventh), Nebraska (ninth) and Iowa (10th).
Although they are not ranked against states, children in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico experienced some of the worst outcomes on many of the indicators the Foundation tracks.
To help children grow into prepared, productive adults, parents need jobs with family-sustaining pay, affordable housing and the ability to invest in their children’s future.
In the Economic Well-Being domain, North Dakota ranks first, followed by Utah and Minnesota. West Virginia (48th), New Mexico (49) and Louisiana (50) are the three lowest-ranked states.
Children growing up in poverty run a greater risk of being exposed to factors that can impair their brain development and lead to poor academic, cognitive and health outcomes.
In 2018, 18% of all children — 13 million kids nationwide — lived in families with incomes below the poverty line. This statistic did not budge from 2017 to 2018, halting a three-year decline in the country’s child poverty rate.
Across the United States, the child poverty rate ranged from a low of 10% in Utah and North Dakota to a high of 28% in Mississippi. Also in 2018: 57% of children in Puerto Rico were living in poverty.
The poverty rate among African American and American Indian children (32% and 31% respectively) was three times the rate for white and Asian and Pacific Islander children (11% for both) in 2018. The poverty rate for Latino kids (26%) was also high.
Secure employment is a key contributor to the financial stability and well-being of families. Since 2010, however, many middle- and low-income families have experienced high rates of job instability.
In 2018, more than 25% of all children (19.6 million kids total) lived in families where no parent had full-time, year-round employment. This rate — which has steadily declined since 2010 — finally reached its prerecession level. Yet, many families have continued to struggle economically.
Among all racial and ethnic groups, American Indian (44%) and African American (41%) children were most likely to have no parent with full-time, year-round employment in 2018. This same statistic was lower for Latino (31%) and multiracial (30%) children as well as white and Asian and Pacific Islander children (both 21%).
Housing is typically one of a family’s greatest expenses. Low-income families are more likely to struggle with high housing costs, often spending more than 30% of their pretax income on a home — regardless of whether they rent or own.
In the United States, the share of children living in families burdened by high housing costs has fallen from 41% (30.1 million kids) in 2010 to 31% (22.6 million kids) lived in 2018.
Across the United States, 7% of all teens (1.2 million youth ages of 16 to 19), were not in school or working.
American Indian (12%), African American (10%) and Latino (8%) teens were more likely to be out of school and unemployed when compared to their white (6%) and Asian and Pacific Islander (3%) counterparts.
The early years of children’s lives set the foundation for their lifelong success. Closing significant academic achievement gaps is vital to ensuring that the nation’s future workforce can continue to compete on a global scale.
In the Education domain, New Jersey ranks first, followed by Massachusetts and Connecticut. Oklahoma (48th), Alaska (49) and New Mexico (50) are the three lowest-ranked states.
High-quality preschool programs foster future skill development and learning, especially for young kids from low-income households.
Young children from low-income families were more likely to miss out on school while fourth graders from low-income households ran a higher risk of missing the proficiency mark in reading.
During 2016–18, 52% of 3- to 4-year-olds nationwide — 4.2 million kids total — were not in school. This participation rate has not changed since 2009–11.
Although the District of Columbia is not included in the state rankings, it was home to the nation’s highest preschool participation rate (24%) — a result of the city’s free, universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds.
Achieving reading proficiency by the end of third grade is a critical marker in a child’s educational development. By fourth grade, children are expected to use reading to learn other subjects.
In 2019, 66% of fourth graders in public school not were proficient in reading — an improvement of just two percentage points compared to the 2009 rate.
Students with strong math and science skills are more likely to graduate from high school, attend and complete college, and earn higher incomes relative to their lower-scoring peers.
In 2019, 39% of Asian and Pacific Islander students and 57% of white students failed to make the proficiency mark in eighth-grade math. Yet, falling short of math proficiency was even more common among African American (87%), American Indian (85%) and Latino (81%) eighth graders.
A high school diploma is both required and expected for many employment options. Graduating from high school on time also improves a student’s choices in young adulthood.
In 2010–11, 21% of high school students failed to graduate in four years. During the 2017–18 school year, this statistic reached an all-time low, with just 15% of students not graduating on time.
In 2017–18, 11% of white students did not graduate from high school on time. During this same time frame, the rates for American Indian (27%) and African American (21%) students were at least twice as high.
Good health is central to a child’s overall development, and ensuring that kids are born healthy is an important first step toward lifelong success.
In the Health domain, Massachusetts ranks first, followed by Connecticut and Minnesota. Tennessee (48th), Oklahoma (49) and Mississippi (50) are the three lowest-ranked states.
Birth weight is an important indicator of an infant’s health. Babies born at a low birth weight (under 5.5 pounds) have a high probability of experiencing developmental problems and disabilities. They are also more likely to die before their first birthday.
Nationally, low birth-weight babies represented 8.3% of all live births in 2018. This statistic has stabilized after increasing for three straight years.
Among racial and ethnic groups, African American babies were most likely to be born at a low birth weight, at 13.7% of live births in 2018. This rate is substantially lower for Latino (7.5%) and white (6.9%) infants.
Children with health insurance are more likely to have acute and chronic conditions treated, receive preventative care and developmental screenings, and have injuries addressed when they occur.
Nationwide, 5% of children ages 18 and under (4.1 million kids total) lacked health insurance in 2018.
The child and teen death rate (deaths per 100,000 children ages 1 to 19) is impacted by a broad array of factors, including health care access; community issues; physical and mental health; use of safety practices; and the level of adult supervision.
In 2018, America’s child mortality rate was 25 deaths per 100,000 kids ages 1 to 19. This statistic has declined dramatically since 1990, when it was 46 deaths per 100,000 kids.
The mortality rate for African American children and teens was 38 deaths per 100,000 kids in 2018. The morality rates were markedly lower for children in all other racial and ethnic groups.
Being overweight or obese can compromise a child’s overall health and well-being and even undercut their health as adults.
In 2017–18, 31% of children ages 10 to 17 were overweight or obese. When someone’s Body Mass Index falls between the 85th and 95th percentiles, they are considered overweight. If their Body Mass Index tops the 95th percentile, they are considered obese.
A child’s risk of being overweight or obese was lowest in Utah, Oregon and Montana (24%) and highest in Mississippi (40%).
Children who live in nurturing families and supportive communities have stronger personal connections and realize higher academic achievements.
In the Family and Community domain, Utah ranks first, followed by New Hampshire and Vermont. New Mexico (48th), Louisiana (49) and Mississippi (50) are the three lowest-ranked states.
Children growing up in single-parent families are more likely to miss out on economic resources and quality time with adults that kids in two-parent families enjoy.
In 2018, 35% of children — 24 million kids total — lived in single-parent families. This statistic is slightly higher than it was in 2010.
At the state level, the share of children living in single-parent families in 2018 ranged from a low of 19% in Utah to a high of 46% in Louisiana. Puerto Rico (62%) and the District of Columbia (54%) had the highest rates on record.
Children growing up in households with highly educated adults are better positioned for future success.
In 2018, 30% of Latino children lived in households headed by someone without a high school diploma. African American (11%) Asian and Pacific Islander (9%) and white (5%) children were far less likely to these types of homes.
High-poverty neighborhoods — where poverty rates for the total population are 30% or more — are associated with a number of challenges that affect the children and families who live there.
From 2014–18, 10% of all children — 7.7 million kids total — lived in high-poverty areas. Between 1990 and 2000, the likelihood that a child would grow up in concentrated poverty declined from 11% to 9%.
In 2018, not even 1% of children from Wyoming were living in concentrated poverty while 84% of kids in Puerto Rico called these areas home. Mississippi and the District of Columbia have the next highest rates, both with 23% of all kids living in high poverty neighborhoods.
Teenage childbearing can have lasting, negative repercussions for both the mother and child. Babies of teen parents run a greater risk of being born preterm, at a low birth weight and into families with limited educational attainment and economic resources.
In 2018, 179,871 babies were born to mothers ages 15–19. This birthrate — 17 births per 1,000 teens — is substantially lower than the 1990 rate of 60 births per 1,000 teens.
