2017 Kids Count Rankings: Atlantic County Ranks 9th in Child Health; Falls Short in Economic Well‐ Being 

Atlantic County ranked ninth for child health among all 21 counties but was 19th in the area of child and family economics, 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).

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.

“Atlantic County also has the highest rent burden in the state with 62 percent of children living in
households paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent. On a brighter note, more Atlantic
children are starting the day with school breakfast,” said Cecilia Zalkind, president and CEO of Advocates
for Children New Jersey, which produces the state Kids Count reports.

“We encourage community leaders to use the data to identify opportunities for progress and target
resources to improve the lives of children in their county.”

Atlantic County ranks:

19th in Child and Family economics: For the 60,100 children that call Atlantic County home, 22 percent
live in poverty, compared to the state average of 16 percent. Unemployment is 7.4 percent, compared
to New Jersey’s 5 percent.

9th in Child Health: About a quarter of all Atlantic children under age 6 received a blood lead test in
2015; that puts the county fifth overall on this measure. The percentage of kids without health
insurance – 3.6 percent, is just below the state’s average of 3.7.

17th in Safety and Well‐being: The percentage of teens not in school and not working is 9 percent,
exceeding the state’s average of 6 percent. In addition, 13.2 percent of reported cases of child abuse or
neglect were substantiated in 2015, up from 8.5 in 2011. Atlantic County also saw a dramatic decrease
in juvenile arrests from nearly 25 arrests per 1,000 in 2011 to 12 in 2015.

16th in Education: The high school graduation rate is in line with New Jersey’s graduation rate of 90
percent. Forty‐six percent of low‐income students start the day with school breakfast, placing the
county 10th on this indicator. However, 13 percent of children are chronically absent, meaning they miss
10 percent or more of enrolled school days.

In addition to the county rankings, 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.

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.