What’s in the 2026 Data Book
KIDS COUNT® indicators capture what children and youth need most across four domains:
- Economic Well-Being
- Education
- Health
- Family and Community
Each domain includes four indicators for a total of 16.
New this year, the enhanced KIDS COUNT index includes both rankings and scores, offering a more complete picture of child well-being. While rankings show how states compare with one another, scores (ranging from 0 to 1,000) show how far apart states are and offer a way to track progress since 2019 — the last full year before the pandemic.
Because state policies and conditions shape children’s opportunities, a child’s future still depends in large part on where they grow up.
2026 Trends: Uneven Progress for Children
This year’s Data Book shows a mixed and uneven picture of child well-being across the country.
Since 2019, seven of the 16 key indicators have improved, seven have worsened and two remain unchanged.
Bright spots include:
- reductions in teen births and children living in high-poverty areas;
- declines in child poverty;
- increases in parental employment and educational attainment;
- improvements in on-time high school graduation rates; and
- a slight decrease in the share of children and teens who are overweight or obese.
These gains reflect a combination of economic recovery, effective public policies and sustained public health efforts.
Education Continues to Struggle
Education outcomes remain the most concerning area, with three of the four indicators worsening since 2019.
- Reading and math proficiency declined.
- Preschool participation fell.
- Pandemic-related disruptions affected learning.
Nearly every state (47) experienced declines in education, underscoring how deeply the pandemic impacted students and schools.
Health and Economic Challenges Persist
While some progress has been made, serious challenges remain:
- High rates of child and teen deaths and low birthweight babies continued.
- Over 1.2 million teens were disconnected from school or work.
- Families faced ongoing housing affordability pressures.
In the Economic Well-Being domain, more states showed improvements than declines, but the gains were uneven and fragile.
Family and Community Indicators Show Broad Improvement
The Family and Community domain stands out as the strongest area of progress:
- Teen birth rates declined nationwide;
- Fewer children lived in high-poverty neighborhoods.
- Most states improved on these measures.
These trends demonstrate that targeted investments and policies can produce meaningful gains.
Geographic Disparities Remain Significant
Where a child lives continues to shape their opportunities and outcomes.
State scores range widely — from 271 in Mississippi to 838 in New Hampshire — revealing substantial gaps in child well-being across the country. Even top-ranked states have room to improve.
Regional patterns persist:
- Many of the lowest-scoring states are in the South.
- The Northeast includes most of the highest-scoring states.
- Western states show the widest variation in outcomes.
Differences also exist within states and across both communities and neighborhoods.
Tracking Progress Over Time
The new index scores reveal how children’s well-being has changed since 2019:
- Twenty-nine states saw overall declines.
- Fifteen sates improved.
- Six states were stable.
Education losses drove many of the declines while improvements in economic conditions and family stability supported gains in other areas.
Some lower-ranked states — including Louisiana and South Carolina — made notable progress, showing that improvement is possible regardless of a state’s starting point.
Every State Has Room to Improve
The enhanced index makes clear that progress and challenges exist in every state.
Some states improved outcomes without changing rank, while others’ scores declined despite relatively strong rankings. Scores provide important context, showing both the pace and depth of change.
Even the highest-performing states still have gaps to close.
Why Data Matter for Kids
Reliable, high-quality data — especially from federal sources — are essential to understanding and improving children’s lives.
The KIDS COUNT Data Book depends on these data to:
- track progress over time;
- compare outcomes across states and communities; and
- inform policy, investment and decision-making.
However, recent cuts to federal data collection, funding and staffing threaten the quality and availability of these critical resources.
Without strong data systems, leaders are left making decisions without a clear picture of children’s needs — risking missed opportunities to improve lives.
What Kids Need and What We Can Do
The 2026 Data Book reinforces what children need to thrive: stable families, strong schools, access to healthcare, economic security and supportive communities.
The enhanced KIDS COUNT index offers a clearer, more actionable tool to guide leaders in making decisions that improve children’s lives.
With better data — and a commitment to act on it — systems can direct resources where they are needed most, strengthen policies, and ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive.
