Here's How Many Kids Live In Poverty In Fairfax County

A new report shows 8.6 percent of Fairfax County kids live in poverty, a number that's lower than Virginia's and the nation's. That’s according to an annual report published Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation that ranked Virginia the 10th 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. In those categories, Virginia ranked 13, 6, 17 and 14, respectively.

Here’s how Fairfax County compared to the national and state levels on several key indicators. Not all data is available on the city and county level.

Economic well-being:

• Children in poverty
• Fairfax County: 8.6 percent
• State: 14 percent
• National: 18 percent
• Children living in households with a high housing cost burden
• Fairfax County: data not available
• State: 29 percent
• National: 31 percent

Education

• Young children (ages 3 and 4) not in school
• Fairfax County: data not available
• State: 52 percent
• National: 52 percent
• High school students not graduating on time
• Fairfax County: 8.5 percent
• State: 13 percent
• National: 15 percent

Health

• Children without health insurance
• Fairfax County: 4.7 percent (2016)
• State: 5 percent
• National: 5 percent
• Child and teen deaths per 100,000
• Fairfax County: data not available
• State: 23
• National: 26

Family and Community

• Children in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma
• Fairfax County: data not available
• State: 9 percent
• National: 13 percent
• Children living in high-poverty areas
• Fairfax County: data not available
• State: 5 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.

Related: Hungry Kids: Thousands In Fairfax County 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.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.