North Carolina gets mixed results for child well-being in the new Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
North Carolina ranks 34th among the states, falling one position since last year’s findings. The report measures 16 data points across four domains: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.
Neil Harrington, research director for the advocacy group NC Child, said the state has seen a turnaround in child poverty numbers.
"Previously, in the past 10 years, this measure had been declining and this is the first increase we've seen in the past 10 years," Harrington reported. "North Carolina now has about 15,000 more children living in households in poverty compared to last year."
The state has seen improving numbers in all the family and community categories, with fewer children living in single-parent households or in high-poverty areas, and fewer teen births.