Annie E. Casey Foundation – 2022
This annual report presents data on 16 indicators on the well-being of children in the United States across four domains: Economic Well-Being, Education, Health, and Family and Community. Trends are summarized to compare how the nation’s children were faring from 2016 to 2020, and key policies that have contributed to improvement in child well-being are identified. It begins by explaining the negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on child well-being and the disruption in reliable data collection for key indicators. It notes the data presented relies on five-year estimates collected between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020. Findings indicate all four Economic well-being indicators improved, nonetheless, in 2016-20, one in six children lived in poverty. Two of the four Education indicators—fourth grade reading proficiency and high school graduation –show improvement. There were mixed results in the Health domain with fewer children lacking access to health insurance, a lower percentage of babies born with low birth weight, and a lower percentage of children and teens who were overweight and obese; however, the child and teen death rate increased. Finally, trends in the Family and Community domain indicate the teen birth rate improved, a smaller percentage of children lived with parents who lacked a high school diploma, there was improvement in the number of children living in high poverty communities; and the teen birth rated continued its steady decline since 2007. Racial inequalities in child well-being are discussed and key indicators by race and Hispanic origin are presented. Appendices include charts that include data for each State. 45 references. (Author abstract modified)
