New Report Exposes Troubling Reality for America’s Kids

Children’s wellbeing in the United States has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, a new national report has warned, with 29 states performing worse in 2024 than in 2019. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2026 Kids Count Data Book measures child wellbeing across four areas: economic security, education, health, and family and community life. Overall, the national score slipped from 553 to 547 over the study period. Five of the top seven states ranked for child wellbeing were in the Northeast, while 11 of the bottom 15 were in the South. Even so, several Southern states saw gains, with South Carolina posting the largest improvement, rising 38 points. Meanwhile, the share of children living in cost-burdened households increased from 30 percent to 31 percent, affecting 22.4 million children. That is the first increase since 2010. Child and teen deaths also rose 8 percent. Health and education scores also dropped, from 624 to 607 and 518 to 417, respectively. The drop in the education score was driven by widespread declines in reading and math proficiency across 47 states.

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