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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

2012 Kids Count Data Book – Midwestern States

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  • Dakotas, Iowa, Nebraska fare well in child study, By Dale Wetzel (AP), July 25, 2012, Bismarck Tribune: “Children in four Great Plains states are more likely to have parents with jobs, better household finances and manageable living costs, a new report says. The annual Kids Count study, done by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and published Wednesday, ranks North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota as the top four states when measuring the economic well-being of children. Overall, the four states ranked in the top 20 in the survey, which also compiles measurements reflecting child education, health, and family circumstances such as teenage birth rates and the percentage of children who live in single-parent families. The study measured 16 different factors. Child advocates in the four states were surprised by some of the results…”
  • Minnesota, N.D. ranked high for child health, By Helmut Schmidt, July 25, 2012, Grand Forks Herald: “Minnesota ranks fifth and North Dakota sixth in the U.S. in the latest rankings of child health and well-being, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book. It’s an increase of four spots in the national rankings for North Dakota, which was 10th among the states in 2011. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s ranking this year, while high, is the state’s lowest ranking in a decade from the KIDS COUNT Data Book. In 2011, the state was ranked second in the nation. The state was ranked first in 2007…”
  • Child poverty is growing across Iowa, report finds, By Mary Stegmeir, July 26, 2012, Des Moines Register: “An increasing percentage of Iowa children are living in poverty and a quarter of the state’s children have parents who lack secure employment, according to a national study released Wednesday. The data come from the most recent Kids Count report, compiled annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation of Baltimore.  Most of the statistics were gathered in 2010, but the study still provides Iowans with an illuminating look at how the national economic downturn has affected the state’s youngest residents, said Michael Crawford, director of the Child and Family Policy Center in Des Moines…”
  • Iowa makes Top 10, Illinois improves in family survey, By Deirdre Cox Baker, July 25, 2012, Quad-City Times: “Iowa stays in the nation’s ‘Top 10’ and Illinois improves to 21st best in the United States in the latest survey on the welfare of American children and their families. The 2012 Kids Count, from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, shows both progress and setbacks for the nation’s children – including better numbers for health and education-related measures, and troubling indicators in the economic indexes…”
  • Other states outshine Michigan in many categories of latest ‘Kids Count’ report, By Tim Martin, July 25, 2012, MLive.com: “Michigan ranks in the bottom half of the states in many categories of a report measuring the well-being of children.  The latest Kids Count rankings are set for release Wednesday by the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation. Michigan ranks 32nd overall in the survey that compares statistics related to economics, education, health and other areas…”
  • Poverty tightens its hold on youth, By Ron Shawgo, July 26, 2012, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: “More than a year after the national recession officially ended, the poverty rate among Hoosier children continued to rise as many parents faced unemployment. The 2012 Kids Count Data Book released Wednesday reports that 22 percent of Indiana children – more than one in five – lived in poverty in 2010, matching the national rate and a 2-percentage-point increase from the year before…”
  • Child poverty increases in Wisconsin, By Aisha Qidwae, July 25, 2012, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “The percentages of Wisconsin children living in poverty and whose parents lacked stable employment both showed significant increases in 2010, according to a new report that compares state trends in children’s well-being. The increase translates to about 248,000 children living in poverty in 2010 compared with 2005, when 177,800 in Wisconsin were considered below the poverty line, based on the 2012 Kids Count Data Book. The report, published annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and released Wednesday, groups an index of 16 indicators into four categories including economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. The report also finds that 402,000 children had parents who didn’t have stable jobs in 2010 compared with 2008, when 287,000 parents didn’t have secure employment…”
  • Nebraska kids fare better than those of other states, By Erin Andersen, July 25, 2012, Lincoln Journal Star: “Compared to kids in the other 49 states, children in Nebraska do live the good life — at least according to the Kids Count national report released Wednesday. The 2012 report ranks Nebraska second in the nation in overall economic well-being for children and families. North Dakota is first, based on 2010 statistics (the most recent year available). Despite being one of the country’s best places, economically speaking, the number of Nebraska kids in poverty or tenuous economic situations increased between 20 and 26 percent from 2005 to 2010…”