U.S. Children’s Wellbeing Slides Nationwide, Threatening Future Growth

A new Annie E. Casey Foundation report shows children’s wellbeing has slipped across the United States between 2019 and 2024, with 29 states posting lower scores than pre‑pandemic levels.

National Snapshot of Children’s Wellbeing

The composite index fell from ↓ 6 points (553 to 547) as health, education and economic indicators eroded. Health scores dropped from 624 to 607, while education plummeted from 518 to 417, reflecting reading and math setbacks in 47 states. Family and community metrics rose from 518 to 608, and economic wellbeing nudged up to 557, but gains were uneven. Child and teen mortality rose 8 % over the period, signalling a deepening mental‑health crisis; several states are countering by hiring more school counselors. The share of kids in cost‑burdened households edged up to 31 % – the first rise since 2010 – affecting roughly 22.4 million children.

“When we invest directly in families and children, outcomes improve,” said Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs at the foundation.

Southern states lagged overall, yet eight posted gains; South Carolina surged ↑ 38 points, the largest state jump. New Mexico climbed 22 points, driven by economic lifts. Mississippi, despite ranking last, posted an education score of 448 after a 2013 law boosted third‑grade reading. The teen birth rate fell 24 % since 2019 and sits at 13 per 1,000 women aged 15‑19, a trend Boissiere credits to decades of policy focus. The report warns that rising food, housing and health costs could further strain families, echoing concerns raised by Reuters on child poverty. Policymakers face a clear calculus: the stronger today’s children’s wellbeing, the more resilient the future workforce.

Dispatch from Victor Hale (Equities & Market Dynamics Analyst).