NJ Kids Count Rankings: Middlesex County among Top 5 for Economic Well‐Being, Safety and  Education, 12th in Child Health  

Middlesex County ranked third in safety and well‐being among all 21 counties but was 12th in child
health, 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.

“In the area of child safety and well‐being, Middlesex County ranks fourth in the low rate of juvenile
arrests and has the second lowest percentage of established or substantiated cases of abuse or neglect,”
said Cecilia Zalkind, president and CEO of Advocates for Children New Jersey, which produces the state
Kids Count reports. “Still, the county could do better in ensuring more children have access to health
insurance.”

Zalkind said that 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.

Middlesex County Ranks:
5th in Child and Family Economics: For the nearly 184,000 children that call Middlesex County home, 10 percent live in poverty, compared to the state average of 16 percent. Unemployment is at 4.4 percent,
compared to New Jersey’s 5 percent. Forty‐seven percent of Middlesex County households have high
rent burdens, meaning they spend 30 percent or more of their income on rent.

12th in Child Health: About 20 percent of Middlesex children under age 6 received a blood lead test in
2015; that puts the county 10th overall on this measure. The percentage of kids without health insurance
– 3.8 percent, is just above New Jersey’s 3.7.

3rd in Safety and Well‐Being: The percentage of teens not in school and not working, also referred to as
idle or disconnected youth, is 6 percent, which is in line with the state average. In addition, 6.6 percent
of reported cases of child abuse or neglect were substantiated or established in 2015, which decreased
from 9.2 in 2011. Middlesex County also saw a decrease in juvenile arrest rates from 10.2 in 2011 to 7.1
in 2015.

5th in Education: Middlesex posted a 91 percent high school graduation rate, just above the state
average graduation rate of 90 percent. Forty‐seven percent of low‐income Middlesex County students
start the day with school breakfast, placing the county eighth on this indicator. In addition, 8 percent of
students 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.
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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.