More Than A Quarter Of LA County Kids Live In Poverty

LOS ANGELES, CA — A new report shows 25. 3 percent of Los Angeles County kids live in poverty, a share that’s vastly higher than the national average of 19 percent and more than the state average of 21.9 percent. That’s according to an annual report published Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation that ranked California the 28th best state in the nation when it comes to child well-being.

The Kids Count Data Book report ranked states based on measurements across four categories: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.

Here’s how Los Angeles County compared to the national and state levels on several key indicators:

Economic well-being:

Children in poverty

County: 25.3 percent
State: 18 percent
National: 18 percent

Children living in households with a high housing cost burden

State: 43 percent
National: 31 percent

Education

Young children (ages 3 and 4) not in school

County: 49 percent

State: 51 percent
National: 52 percent

High school students not graduating on time

County: 19 percent
State: 17 percent
National: 15 percent

Health

Children without health insurance

County: 8 percent
State: 3 percent
National: 5 percent

Child and teen deaths per 100,000

State: 19 percent
National: 26

Family and Community

Children in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma

State: 21 percent
National: 13 percent

Children living in high-poverty areas

State: 13 percent
National: 12 percent

Overall, American kids across the country have better odds of succeeding than they did 30 years ago, the report said. One of the most positive trends the researchers found was that they’re seeing improvements over the last three decades in 11 of the 16 indicators they look for when it comes to overall child well-being, Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs at the organization, told Patch this week.

“We’re seeing significant traction on things like high school graduation rates. It’s at an all-time high,” said Boissiere.

See related: America's Hungry Kids: 13M U.S. Children Don't Have Enough To Eat

Furthermore, 95 percent of children have health insurance coverage and there’s been a large drop in the number of teen pregnancies.

But it’s not all sunshine and roses.

“Unfortunately we’re not seeing the same results for children of color,” said Boissiere. “African-American, Native American and Latino children in particular still face significant obstacles in this country.”

Poverty has one of the most profound effects on child well-being, she said. Of the roughly 74 million kids in the U.S., one in six lives in poverty.

And while the national average for children who live with a parent who doesn’t have a stable job is 27 percent, that number is far higher for children of color: 42 percent for African-Americans, 47 percent for American Indians and 32 percent for Latinos. For whites and Asian and Pacific Islanders, that number is 21 percent.

A similar trend is true when it comes to children living in households with a high housing cost, meaning at least 30 percent of the household’s pre-tax income goes toward housing costs.

The national average is 31 percent and that number is far lower for whites at 22 percent. But it’s far higher for children of color: 45 percent for African-Americans, 30 percent for American Indians, 31 percent for Asian and Pacific islanders and 42 percent for Latinos.

“That doesn’t leave much for clothes and transportation and all these other things that they need,” said Boissiere.

The organization noted that states where the child growth population outpaces the national average are located in the South and West, particularly in Texas, Florida and California. States where the disparities are more prevalent also tend to be located in the South and Southwest, Boissiere said.

The organization urged states to invest in kids. Boissiere highlighted several programs that she said have been proven to be effective in helping lift up families financially. She pointed to the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit.

“Essentially what they do is allow working parents to have more of their income available to provide for their children,” she said.

Of the 6 million families that benefited from the earned income tax credit last year, about half of those were children.

“We know what works and where we need to continue to invest in those policies that work,” she said.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.