Children living in poverty in Arkansas was 14.5% in the 2022-2024 period, up from 8.9% between 2019-2021, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF). The national average is 13%.
The report, “Measuring Access to Opportunity in the United States: A 10-Year Update,” was posted Oct. 20 and provides a picture of the impact of public policies on programs designed to reduce child poverty.
The AECF report uses U.S. Census Bureau figures from the annual Supplemental Poverty Measure. The report finds that more than one in eight children nationwide live in poverty, with one in every seven children in Arkansas going without essential food needs…