Kids Count Data Book has data on factors that influence children's well-being; state-level books have county data

The Kids Count Data Book, an annual report on American children's well-being, has just been released; this year's edition focuses this year on the nation's growing mental-health crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to that crisis, but many factors that make children's lives harder have been an issue since long before the pandemic, the report says.

"In the 2000s, experts estimated that 14% to 20% of young people in America were experiencing a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder at any given time. Conditions for the current generation appear to be worse," writes Lisa L. Hamilton, president and chief executive officer of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which does the study. Racial and ethnic disparities disproportionately contribute to and result in worsened mental health among children, the report notes. And though data is limited, it indicates that LGBTQ+ youth are also underserved.

The report ranks children's overall well-being at the state level through 16 measures in health, education, economic security and a category called "family and community" — all of which affect mental health. Though the report doesn't break the data down by rurality, rural areas usually rank low in such measures, including access to health care, quality child care, and adequate nutrition.

The Kids Count project publishes state data books with county-by-county information. Kentucky Health News reports on one here. Kentucky and other states in Appalachia, the Southeast and the Southwest, plus Alaska, comprise the bottom 17 in overall child well-being. The report primarily uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, a continuing national poll, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The project's partner organizations are listed on Page 44 of the report. You can view the interactive version of the report here, overall interactive data here, and past years' reports here.