The newest Kids Count Data Book reveals that Tennessee ranks 37th in the country for children’s well-being, with improvements in family and community wellness and declines in some health, education, and economic well-being metrics.
The report, released on June 8, features annual public rankings across states. This year’s data book also features a new scoring system that can be used to compare state’s child well-being data to the highest ones seen before COVID, in 2019.
These scores, between one and 1000, reflect the differences between states and whether the state has made improvement from 2019 to 2024. The percentages referenced are also compared to those from 2019.
According to the report, Tennessee ranks 42nd nationwide for children’s family and community well-being, with a score of 524 out of 1000. The state saw improvements across all measured metrics in this category, including a decrease in children in single-parent families (37 percent to 34 percent), children in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma (11 percent to 10 percent), children living in high-poverty areas (10 percent to 9 percent), and teen births per 1000 (24 to 20).
While family and community scores have improved, numbers in other categories remain mixed. Tennessee ranks 42nd in economic well-being with a score of 454. While the percentage of children living in poverty decreased (20 percent to 19 percent), the percentage of children whose parents lack secure employment remained stable (28 percent) and the percentage of children living in households with a high housing cost burden increased (26 percent to 29 percent) along with teens not in school and not working (6 percent to 8 percent).
Tennessee, with a score of 524 , ranks 39th in health. Fewer children were born at low birth weights (9.2 percent to 8.8 percent) and a smaller percentage of children and teens aged 10-17 are obese (36 percent to 33 percent) compared to 2019. However, a greater percentage of children lack health insurance and the number of child and teen deaths per 1000 increased (32 to 38).
Tennessee’s education statistics either remained stable, as with the percentage of eighth graders not proficient in math (69 percent), or worsened as with the percentage of children aged 3 or 4 not in school (61 percent to 62 percent), fourth graders not proficient in reading (65 percent to 68 percent), and high school students not graduating on time (10 percent to 11 percent).
