Study: Michigan’s Economy hurts child well-being in Michigan

The annual Kids Count survey was released on Tuesday and it should come as no surprise that the state of Michigan’s economy is negatively impacting Michigan’s children.  Michigan ranked 27th among the states the 2009 report on child well-being. Rapidly rising poverty and unemployment were the most troubling trends in the report, but the state performed well in reducing the rates of teen deaths and high school dropouts.

The state-by-state report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation looks at 10 indicators of child well-being and ranks the states, with No. 1 the best.  Michigan’s overall rank of 27 puts it behind a majority of other states.

Michigan’s worst ranking (41) was for the percent of children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment.  In Michigan in 2007, 36 percent of children lived in those families, compared with 33 percent nationally.

The state ranked No. 34 for the percent of children living in poverty (income below about $21,000 for two adults and two children in 2007). Nearly one out of every five of Michigan’s 2.4 million children lived in poverty in 2007. That rate has jumped by 36 percent since 2000.

Other highlights from Kids Count survey:

• A 4% drop in the child death rate from 22% in 2000 to 18% in 2006.
• No change in the percentage of children living in single-parent families.
• a 14% improvement among the teen death rate and a 50% improvement in the percent of teens, ages 16-19, who are dropouts.

You can view the full report here: 2009 Kids Count Survey