Minnesota ranks fourth overall in the nation in the 2019 Kids Count Data Book.
The statistics from the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation measure the well-being of kids in the U.S. based on their state's strength in economics, education, health and family. States in the Northeast and Upper Midwest fared the best, whereas states in the South and West rated the most poorly. Its goal is to show how things like concentrated poverty, stable employment for families, and more, is tied to children's outcomes.
Minnesota was in the top 10 in all five categories, which evaluated things like children in poverty, reading and math proficiency, children without health insurance and more.
"I think there's positive trends," Gov. Tim Walz said. "I think the poverty rate going down, but again it's very difficult too celebratory when we still have a child and the number of children we have going hungry."
Walz added that more needs to be done to address mental health in schools as well as racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps.
Nationwide, children of color and indigenous children are vastly more likely to live in high-poverty areas which, according to the Foundation, "generally don't provide access to healthy food and quality public schools or medical care, and they often subject residents to greater exposure to environmental hazards, such as poor air quality or lead. Financial hardships and fear of violence also can cause chronic stress in children, wich has been linked with diabetes, heart disease and stroke later in life."
"It is absolutely an economic development issue," Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said of the impact of childcare in the well-being of families and children. "Families need reliable child care, but employers need to have a reliable work force."
The report shows 12 percent of Minnesota children living in poverty, or 150,000. Minnesota fared the poorest, tenth, in education, with 61 percent of 4th graders not reading proficient in 2017, 54 percent of 8th graders not proficient in math, and 17 percent of students not graduating on time.
Read the Kids Count Data Book here. Read the Minnesota Children's Defense Fund's report on the Kids Count here.
