By Margaret O’Hara, Santa Fe New Mexican
June 10, 2024
New Mexico will spend yet another year at the bottom of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2024 Kids Count Data Book’s child well-being rankings.
For the fourth time since 2019, the state ranked 50th nationwide in the data set, which amalgamates indicators of economic well-being, health, education and family demographic data released Monday from all 50 states.
There is one bright spot in the data: New Mexico’s child poverty rate is on the decline. In 2022 — the latest data available — 23% of New Mexico children were living in poverty, down 2% from 2019 despite the intervening pandemic.
“New Mexico’s ranking is not a reflection of who we are, but serves as a motivation to continue improving the systems in New Mexico that make it possible for kids and families to thrive,” said Gabrielle Uballez, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, which compiles the state’s data for use in the national data book.
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