Bergen County Ranks among Top 10 for Economic Well‐Being, Health, Safety and Education 

Bergen County received its highest ranking – third – in the area of child and family economics and its
lowest ranking – eighth – in child health, still remaining within the top 10 across four domains of child
well‐being, according to the annual New Jersey Kids Count county profiles and pocket guide released
today.

View County Profiles and Ranking

View pocket guide, New Jersey Kids Count 2017: The State of Our Counties

(county-by-county trend data on 40 indicators of child health and well-being)

As New Jersey elects a new governor and legislature this fall, ACNJ encourages voters to use the data proactively and engage with candidates to make kids' issues a part of the conversation. To learn more about the #NJVotes4Kids campaign, please visit njvotes4kids.org.

The rankings, which compare counties on 12 measures of child well‐being, and across four domains –
economics, health, safety and well‐being, and education – provide a closer look at how children are
faring in various parts of the state, often revealing a range of outcomes depending on where they live.
The pocket guide, NJ Kids Count 2017: The State of Our Counties provides county‐by‐county child trend
data across 40 measures of child well‐being.

“While fewer Bergen families face child poverty or unemployment, the reality is that more than 17,000
children still live in households struggling to make ends meet,” said Cecilia Zalkind, president and CEO of
Advocates for Children New Jersey, which produces the state Kids Count reports. “The federal school
breakfast program helps many low‐income students start the school day ready to learn, but
participation in Bergen County remains low.”

Zalkind said she hopes community leaders can use the data to recognize areas of concern and target
resources to improve the lives of children in their county.

Bergen County Ranks:
Third in Child and Family Economics: Bergen County’s relatively low percentage of children in poverty
and unemployment rate, 9 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively, contribute to the county’s higher
performance on this ranking. But despite having one of the lowest percentages of households with high
rent burdens in the state, 45 percent of Bergen households still pay 30 percent or more of their income
on rental costs.

Eighth in Child Health: Bergen’s rate of uninsured children mirrors the state average of 3.7 percent,
placing the county 13th on this measure. About 20 percent of all Bergen children under age 6 received a
blood lead test in 2015, ranking ninth among the 21 counties. Bergen also ranked ninth in the
percentage of babies born with a low birthweight – 7.6 compared to the New Jersey average of 8.1.

Fifth in Safety and Well‐Being: Only 4 percent of Bergen teens are not in school and not working,
compared to the state’s average of 6 percent. In addition, 9.4 percent of reported cases of child abuse
or neglect were substantiated or established in 2015, down from 14.1 in 2011. Bergen County also saw a
significant decrease in juvenile arrest rates from 14.2 arrests per 1,000 in 2011 to 7.7 in 2015.

Sixth in Education: Bergen received high marks for its high school graduation rate – 95 percent
compared to New Jersey’s graduation rate of 90 percent. And only 7 percent of students are chronically
absent – missing 10 percent or more school days, placing Bergen fourth in the state on this indicator.
However, Bergen ranks nearly last for its participation in school breakfast, with only 26 percent of low‐
income children starting the day with a morning meal at school; the state average is 47 percent.
In addition to the county profiles and pocket guide, Advocates for Children of New Jersey also released
New Jersey Kids Count 2017: The State of Our Children, in May, which provides state‐level data in all
areas of child well‐being.

To read the reports, visit www.acnj.org.
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KIDS COUNT is a national and state‐by‐state statistical effort to track the state of children in the United
States, sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Advocates for Children of New Jersey is a statewide
child research and action organization and the New Jersey Kids Count grantee.