New Hampshire rose from #4 to #2 in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual ranking of child well-being, according to the newly released 2015 KIDS COUNT Data Book. Although NH's economic security improved, the state missed the top spot (held by Minnesota) in part due to a decrease in its overall ranking on child health. This marks the first time in over a decade that a New England state has not held the top ranking.
The report found that 1.7 million more children live in low-income working families than during the Great Recession. In 2013, one in four children, 18.7 million, lived in a low-income working family in the United States. In addition, the national trends highlight a stagnant economic recovery that sidestepped children of color.
"Although we are several years past the end of the recession, millions of families still have not benefited from the economic recovery," said Patrick McCarthy, president and CEO of the Casey Foundation. "While we've seen an increase in employment in recent years, many of these jobsare low-wage and cannot support even basic family expenses. Far too many families are still struggling to provide for the day-to-day needs of their children, notably for the 16 million kids who are living in poverty. We can and must do better: we can make policy choices to lift more families into economic stability."
In many ways, New Hampshire fared better than national trends. The state saw improvements in economic indicators, retained its number one ranking in family and community indicators, and remained consistent in education.
Despite these achievements, New Hampshire continues to fall behind in measures of overall child health, including teen substance misuse.
Key New Hampshire Findings
Child poverty decreased from 16 percent (42,000) to 10 percent (27,000). Despite this recent decrease, there has been a slow, steady upward climb to 10 percent child poverty since 2000 when the child poverty rate was 6 percent.
The number of children living in high-poverty areas has doubled. In 2013, 2 percent or 6,000 children lived in areas with a 30 percent or higher rate of poverty. This rate is more than double the previous year, when 1 percent or 3,000 children lived in high-poverty areas. NH KIDS COUNT reported in our 2015 DATA BOOK that Coös County had the highest rate of child poverty in the state at 21.7 percent, while Hillsborough and Merrimack counties had the highest number of children living in poverty.
Fewer children live in households with a high housing cost burden. 11,000 fewer children lived in households with a high housing cost burden in 2013, further reducing the likelihood that families slipped in poverty.
NH tied for highest number of teens who abuse alcohol and drugs in the nation. While NH's rate of teens who misuse alcohol and drugs remained unchanged from 2011-2012 to 2012-2013 (7 percent or 7,000 teens), other states continued to improve. NH is now ranked 44th and tied for the lowest ranking with Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont and Wyoming.
"While we are pleased to see improvements in economic stability measurements such as child poverty and secure employment for parents, we have not matched these gains with critical investments in the health and well-being of our children," said Ellen Fineberg, executive director of New Hampshire Kids Count. "The Granite State should not be last in the nation for any indicator of child well-being. When we make smart policy decisions that reflect both data and the needs of our children and families, our state can make a difference."
Additional information is available at databook.kidscount.org and nhkidscount.org.
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