Wisconsin ranks number 10 nationally in a new state-by-state study on the well-being of America's children.
The 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation reveals that since 2000, Wisconsin improved on six of the 10 measures affecting child well-being. Yet on four other measures, conditions worsened for Wisconsin's kids.
In 2007, Wisconsin's child poverty rate stood at 14 percent, up from 12 percent in 2000. Despite ranking 12th nationally, the percentage of Wisconsin children living in families where no parent had full-time, year-round employment increased from 27 percent in 2000 to 29 percent in 2007; an increase of 13,558 children.
Wisconsin's infant mortality rate fell from 6.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 6.4 deaths per 1,000 births in 2006. During the same six-year period, the state's child death rate decreased from 20 to 15 deaths per 100,000 children ages 1 to 14. And the teen death rate dropped from 66 deaths per 100,000 teens ages 15 to 19 in 2000 to 59 deaths per 100,000 in 2006.
Wisconsin ranks third nationally on two indicators-percent high school dropouts and percent of teens ages 16 to 19 not in school and not working. The state ranks eighth among the 50 states on two other measures: percent low-birthweight babies and child death rate.
