2006
Kids Count Data Book
Massachusetts ranks tenth among all states in
the just released 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book
that reports the well-being of America’s children. The 17 th
annual state-by-state study issued by the
Annie E. Casey Foundation
and distributed through Massachusetts Citizens for Children shows
that
- Massachusetts improved in three out of ten measures that
reflect child well-being,
- experienced setbacks in four indicators,
and
- saw no change in three since 2000.
This year’s report
highlights the early childhood experiences of young children,
including a special focus on children under age six who are in
family-based child care. Key findings:
Children in Poverty Continues:
Despite some improvement in economic indicators, the number of
children in poverty and in low income families remains a persistent
problem in Massachusetts. Thirteen (13%)
of Massachusetts children are living in poverty
- placing the state #10 in
ranking – down from #5 last year.
Six (6%) of children are living in extreme poverty or at 50% of the
federal poverty level. Additionally, 31% of the state’s
children live in families where no parent had full-time year-round
employment.
Child death rate drops in Massachusetts.
Between 2000 and 2003, the death rate of
children ages 1-14 dropped 13 percent, ranking Massachusetts behind
only New Hampshire for the nation’s lowest child death rate. This
marks the best ranking for the state in all of the 10 categories.
High school dropouts mark state’s worst
ranking.
Massachusetts dropped to 32nd in the
nation for its rate of teens (ages 16-19) who are high school
dropouts in 2004, compared to a 12th place ranking just
four years earlier. While the national drop-out rate has decreased,
Massachusetts has remained at 8 percent since 2000. This marks
Massachusetts worst ranking among the ten indicators.
Number of idle teens on the
rise.Nine percent of teenagers in Massachusetts are
not attending school and not working, a 50 percent increase from 2000. In 2004, more
than 25,000 youths were idle, compared with over 17,500 in 2000. This
increase dropped Massachusetts from 6th in the nation in this
category to 27th in 2004.
Share of teens giving birth going down.
A lower share of teens is giving birth in
Massachusetts. In 2003, Massachusetts ranked third overall in the
nation in teen birth rate at 23 percent. These numbers show a steady
decline in this category since 2000, a decrease of 12 percent. More than
4,600 teens gave birth in Massachusetts in 2004, compared with about
5,300 in 2000.
Rankings at a Glance
Ø
#2 in Child death rate
Improved by 13% 2000
to 2003. Improved slightly nationally.
Ø
#3 in Infant mortality
Got worse slightly
in from 2000 to 2003. Stayed the same nationally.
Ø
#3 in Teen birth rate
Continued to improve
nationally and in Massachusetts from 2000 to 2003.
Ø
#5 in Teen death rate
Worsened in
Massachusetts from 2000 to 2003. Stayed the same nationally.
Ø
#20 in % low
birthweight babies
Got worse slightly nationally
and in Massachusetts from 2000 to 2003.
Massachusetts
improved in three measures:
Child death rate from 15
per 100,000 (ages 1-14) to 13 per 100,000 in 2003
Teen birth rate from 26
births per 1,000 (ages 15-19) to 23 per 1,000 in 2003
Children in poverty
dropped from 14% in 2000 to 13% in 2004
Massachusetts
declined in four measures:
Low birth weight babies
from 7.1% in 2000 to 7.6% 2003
Infant mortality from 4.6
deaths per thousand live births in 2000 to 4.8 in 2003
Teen death rate from 40
per 100,000 in 2000 to 51 in 2003
Teens not attending
school and not working from 6% in 2000 to 9% in 2004
No change (from
2000 to 2004):
Percent of teens that are
high school drop outs stayed at 8% from 2000 to 2004
Children
in families where no parent has full time, year round
employment at 31%;
Children in single parent households at 29%
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