LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – While a recent study shows some improvements, Arkansas still ranks in the bottom 10 of the 50 states for child well-being in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual Kids Count data study.
The annual study gave the state an overall ranking of 43 for overall child well-being, based on data from 2024, the most recent time period available. For the 2025 ranking, using 2023 data, the state ranked 45th out of 50.
Arkansas family says they have a 10-year wait to receive help from state for their son with special needs
The study also showed that 20% of the state’s children, one in five or 138,000, live in poverty. Last year’s study showed that 21% were living in poverty, representing 6,000 fewer children in poverty than the previous year. In pre-pandemic 2019, the state had 22% of its children in poverty.
The United States overall has 15% of its children living in poverty, more than 11.1 million children, according to the study, which stated that overall U.S. child well-being is worse than in 2019 in 29 states…