New data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 36th Kids Count Data Book ranks New Jersey seventh in the nation for overall child well-being. The report evaluates all 50 states using 16 indicators across Economic Well-being, Education, Health, and Family and Community categories.
According to the foundation, “New Jersey is among the top performers in overall child well-being, placing 7th nationally. The six leading states are New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Utah, Minnesota, and North Dakota, holding the first through sixth positions, respectively.” The assessment uses data primarily from 2023 to compare current outcomes with pre-pandemic figures.
The state achieved high marks in Education (2nd) and Health (6th), outperforming national averages on most related indicators. One exception was high school graduation rates; 15% of New Jersey students did not graduate on time compared to 13% nationally.
Preschool participation marked a notable difference between state and national numbers. Between 2019 and 2023, about 38% of young children in New Jersey were not enrolled in preschool—approximately 85,000 children aged three or four—while the national rate stood at 54%.
In terms of health outcomes, New Jersey reported a lower child and teen death rate than the country as a whole. In 2023, there were 19 deaths per 100,000 people ages one to nineteen in New Jersey versus 29 per 100,000 nationwide.
Economic Well-being and Family and Community rankings placed New Jersey at 23rd and 20th nationally. These results were generally similar or slightly better than U.S. averages except for housing cost burden: “the percentage of children living in households with a high housing cost burden…was somewhat worse (33% in the state versus 30% nationally).”
Compared with pre-pandemic data, six out of sixteen indicators improved modestly statewide. The largest gain was seen in reduced rates of overweight or obese children and teens—from 32% in 2018-2019 to 28% by 2022-2023.
The share of children without health insurance held steady at four percent between both periods measured. For nine other indicators—including all education-related measures—outcomes declined since before COVID-19 disruptions. Math proficiency among eighth graders dropped most sharply: those not proficient rose from fifty-six percent in two thousand nineteen to sixty-three percent in two thousand twenty-four.
Further details can be found at https://www.aecf.org/resources/2025-kids-count-data-book.
