From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Wisconsin ranked eighth nationally for overall child well-being and 18th for the health of children, but racial disparities in the state persist, according to a new Annie E. Casey Foundation report for 2024.
The charitable foundation’s report evaluates child well-being in states since 2019 based on several economic, education, health and family and community-related factors, such as the number of children in poverty, proficiency in math and reading for certain grade levels, child and teen deaths, and more.
The share of Wisconsin kids without health insurance remained at 4%, while the percentage of low birthweight babies ticked up from 7.6% in 2019 to 7.8% in 2024, the report shows.
When these health indicators are broken down along racial lines, the report reveals steep disparities.
The rate of American Indian or Alaska Native children without health insurance was 8% in 2024, followed by Asian and Pacific Islander children with 6% and Hispanic or Latino with 5%. Both non-Hispanice white children and Black or African American children were at 4%, while those with two or more races were at 3%.
Meanwhile, Black or African American babies had the highest rate of low birthweights by far with 15.9%, followed by those with two or more races at 11%, American Indian or Alaska Native with 9.2%, Asian and Pacific Islander with 8.7%, Hispanic or Latino at 8.4% and non-Hispanic white at 6.4%.
Antiracist policy center Kids Forward said while the state may rank near the top nationally for child well-being, Wisconsin continues to have some of the worst racial disparities in the country.
“Wisconsin is like a broken record with its legacy of failing Black children. Our state has been recognized for years as one of ‘The worst places for Black families to live’ – when is Wisconsin going to make the necessary investments to write a new headline?” Deputy Director Alia Stevenson said in a statement.
Other data in the report include:
- The percentage of children in poverty went down to 12% in 2024 compared to 14% in 2019. Black children had the highest poverty rate at 38%, more than double the second-highest rate, 18% for Hispanic or Latino children. Non-Hispanic white children had the lowest poverty rate at 7%.
- The percentage of children living in high-poverty areas went down from 7% to 5%. Black children were most likely to live in high-poverty areas, with 28% living in high-poverty neighborhoods where poverty rates for the total population are 30% or more. Non-Hispanic white children had the lowest percentage at just 1%.
See a dashboard with state-by-state data.
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