For Immediate Release
June 17, 2019
Contact:
Alex Rossman:
arossman@mlpp.org
517-487-5436
Greater percentage of Michigan children living in poverty since 1990 despite marked improvement in other areas of child well-being
30th annual national KIDS COUNT® Data Book ranked Michigan second best in U.S. for children with health insurance; poverty, education remain low points
LANSING — Michigan has improved in many areas of child well-being since 1990, but the percentage of children living in poverty, kids living in high-poverty neighborhoods and low birth weight babies are worse today, according to the 30th edition of the KIDS COUNT®Data Book, released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The 2019 KIDS COUNT Data Book — the most comprehensive annual report on child well-being in the United States — notes measurable progress in Michigan and across the country since the first Data Book was published in 1990. Nevertheless, more than 13 million U.S. children — and 419,000 Michigan kids — live in poverty. Serious racial and ethnic disparities in child well-being persist nationally and in the state, with Michigan having the highest rate of concentrated poverty for African-American kids in the country for the second year in a row.
“To mark the 30th edition, this year’s national KIDS COUNT® Data Book provides a unique opportunity to look at child well-being over three decades. We can see where Michigan has gained significant ground —and where we are still unfortunately struggling,” said Alicia Guevara Warren, Kids Count project director at the Michigan League for Public Policy. “Thankfully, many of the struggles facing Michigan kids in 1990 have improved significantly, but it is deplorable that amidst all that progress, policymakers have not moved the needle on child poverty over the last three decades.”
The annual KIDS COUNT® Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation uses 16 indicators to rank each state overall and individually across four domains — health, education, economic well-being and family and community — as an assessment of child well-being. The rankings are based on the 2017 data, and looking at the related trends since 1990 provides additional context for the state’s progress or lack thereof in these areas. Michigan continues to lag behind the nation in child well-being and ranks 32nd overall nationally, the worst ranking in the Great Lakes region. In the four domains, Michigan ranks:
- 30th in economic well-being. The percentage of children living in poverty has increased since 1990, and the proportion of families facing high housing cost burdens (25 percent) is the same as it was 30 years ago.With one in five kids in Michigan living in poverty in 2017, the state ranks 33rd in that measure. The state is also 37th for the share of children in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment. Young children and children of color are disproportionately impacted by poverty.
- 37th in education. While slightly improving from 1990, 68 percent of fourth-graders are still not reading proficiently, which will have severe consequences for the state in the long term and also with the retention component of Michigan’s Read by Grade Three law going into effect next school year.
- 29th in the family and community domain. The latest data show there are more children living in high-poverty neighborhoods than in 1990, with the state ranking 42nd in this measure. Children living in high-poverty neighborhoods have fewer resources available to them and are more likely to experience toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences. Michigan has the highest rate of concentrated poverty for African-American kids in the country.
- 18th in health. The state’s best rankings are in children’s health, particularly due to the high rate of children with health insurance, which is the third highest in the country. However, the problem of babies born at low birth weight, which can lead to long-term developmental and health outcomes, worsened from 1990. As shown in the state Kids Count® Data Bookreleased in April, women of color in Michigan face more barriers to prenatal care, along with outright racism, which can lead to poor birth outcomes.
The KIDS COUNT® Data Book shows how essential accurate data are to sound policymaking. The 2010 census missed 2.2 million kids under age 5 that lived in hard-to-count areas, and the upcoming 2020 census may miss even more if young children are not a priority. The stakes are high: 55 major federal programs, including Head Start and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, allocate more than $880 billion each year based on census data. In Michigan, the 2010 census should have counted 10,172 additional children under age 5, and that undercount has cost the state $9.7 million every year in funding lost from just five of those 55 federally funded programs for children and families.
According to the 2019 Data Book, Michigan was one of 12 states that experienced a decline in its child population since 1990. However, it has diversified since 1990 with more kids of color, making it a critical opportunity to address systemic racism and increase opportunities for all kids.
“America’s children are one-quarter of our population and 100 percent of our future,” said Casey Foundation President and CEO Lisa Hamilton. “All of the 74 million kids in our increasingly diverse country have unlimited potential, and we have the data, knowledge and evidence to create the policies that will help them realize it. It’s incumbent on us to do just that.”
The Casey Foundation points to areas of tremendous improvement in children’s lives since 1990 — including access to health care, decreased rates of teen childbearing and increased rates of high school graduation — and draws a direct line to policies that support this success. Especially as the child population is expanding, there are steps that policymakers should take to help all children thrive. The Casey Foundation calls on elected officials and representatives to:
- Expand the programs that make and keep kids healthy. For the sake of all children, regardless of their immigration status, states should ensure access to public health programs and expand coverage to lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant mothers as allowed under Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA), which is outlined in the League’s Owner’s Manual. The Trump administration should abandon efforts to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act, and Michigan should closely monitor the adverse impact on kids and families of Healthy Michigan Plan work requirements coming next year.
- Provide the tools proven to help families lift themselves up economically. Federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit programs mean working parents can use more of their take-home pay to meet their children’s needs. Modernizing the state EITC credit could expand its reach to help more youth and other adults without children.
- Address ethnic and racial inequities. The national averages of child well-being can mask the reality that black and brown children still face a greater number of obstacles.
- Count all kids. Ensure the 2020 census counts all children, especially those under 5 years old and from hard-to-count areas.
The 2019 KIDS COUNT® Data Book is the 30th edition of an annual data study that is based on U.S. Census and other publicly available data, representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Release Information
The 2019 KIDS COUNT® Data Book is available atwww.aecf.org/databook. Journalists interested in creating maps, graphs and rankings in stories about the Data Book can use the KIDS COUNT® Data Center at datacenter.kidscount.org.
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The Michigan League for Public Policy, www.mlpp.org, is a nonprofit policy institute focused on economic opportunity for all. It is the only state-level organization that addresses poverty in a comprehensive way.
About the Kids Count in Michigan Project: The Kids Count in Michigan project is part of a broad national effort to measure the well-being of children at the state and local levels, and use that information to shape efforts to improve the lives of children. The state project is part of a nationwide network of state projects supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation of Baltimore. Funding for the Michigan project is also provided by The Skillman Foundation, The Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, Steelcase Foundation, Michigan Education Association, American Federation of Teachers Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, DTE Energy Foundation, Ford Motor Company Fund, Battle Creek Community Foundation and the Ruth Mott Foundation.
About the Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation creates a brighter future for the nation’s children by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow. For more information, visit www.aecf.org.
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
