New report ranks Iowa high for kids well being
Hunter
6/17/19
A new report issued Monday gives Iowa high marks as a place to grow up.
The 2019 Kids Count Data Book ranks the Hawkeye state third best for kids.
The annual report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks states using 16 metrics under four categories. The study ranks Iowa 2nd in economic well-being , 7th in education, and 8th in both health and family & community.
In the subsets of those four categories, the only metric where Iowa took a turn for the worse was in Child and Teen Deaths per 100,000. Over the past years the state went from 24th to 27th nationally.
Significant improvements were shown in the number of teen births, children living in households with a high housing cost burden, and high school students graduating on time.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette cites Iowa Department of Public Health data showing suicide deaths in general in Iowa have gone from 286 in 2000 to 476 in 2017. However, most youth deaths in Iowa are the result of traffic crashes, especially in the more rural areas.
The report can be accessed at www.aecf.org .