Kids Count Survey: Portsmouth Mirrors State Drop in Child Population

Portsmouth's population of children under the age of 18 dropped by roughly the same percentage as the state overall, the advocacy group RI Kids Count announced in its 2012 RI Kids Count Factbook, released recently at an event in Warwick.

According to the statewide survey, Portsmouth's under-18 population fell from 4,329 in 2000 to 3,996 in 2010, a reduction of 7.7 percent. The state's total childhood population fell by about nine percent.

Only two other states had decreases in the population of children over that time, the group said in a press release.

The RI Kids Count survey reviewed 2010 census data for all 39 cities and towns in Rhode Island, and also found that about 66 percent of all children considered to be living in poverty — defined as annual household income of $18,123 for a family of three with two children — were located in four communities: Woonsocket, Central Falls, Pawtucket, and Providence.