2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book
Using federal data collected across all 50 states, this June 2025 annual report explores national and state data across 16 indicators in four domains - economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors. Since 2019, seven of the 16 key indicators have improved, six have worsened, and three have not changed. According to the current report, states facing the biggest challenges are largely in the South and Southwest—including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia. In contrast, many Northeast and Midwest states rank near the top - including Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Vermont. Utah also stands out as a strong performer. According to the report, the most positive trends occurred in the family and community category, with positive trends including reductions in child poverty and the number of children living in high-poverty areas (43 percent reduction over the past decade), an almost 25 percent decrease in teen birth rates from 2019 to 2023, and slight increases of children with health insurance and on-time high school graduation.
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County Innovation in Youth Justice: Probation
This June 2025 report by the National Association of Counties shows how counties can play a critical role in youth probation implementation — from shaping when and how youth probation occurs to managing day-to-day services, supervision and sanctions. The brief identifies promising county-level practices and spotlights real-world strategies from a case study from Wayne County, Michigan - home to Detroit. It is part of a series, produced by the National Association of Counties, that is devoted to strengthening communities and improving outcomes for young people involved in the juvenile justice system.
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