Child Well-being in the United States

The poverty rate among children is a crucial indicator of child well-being. Yet, the overall well-being of a child depends on more than just economic security. Education, health, and family and community, all play an important role. Leslie Boissiere of the Annie E. Casey Foundation joins EconoFact Chats to discuss the 2025 Kids Count Data Book report, which tracks trends in child well-being across these broad sets of indicators, disaggregated by geography, race and ethnicity. She notes encouraging reductions in child poverty, fewer teen births, more children with health insurance, and a rise in on-time high school graduation. Yet the latest data also shows a decline in reading and math scores, and an increase in chronic absenteeism. Leslie is the Vice President for External Affairs at the Annie E. Casey Foundation.