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Report: 23 Percent of Ohio Children in Poverty
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A new report on the well-being of children across the country finds that more Ohio youngsters are living in poverty than before the Great Recession. The Kids Count report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that 23 percent of the state’s children are living in poverty compared to 19 percent in 2008.
The child advocacy group says Ohio ranks 23rd nationally in overall child well-being. That’s a slot above where it ranked last year in the organization’s report.
Elsewhere, the number of children living in poverty in West Virginia grew from 87,000 in 2008 to 100,000 in 2013, an increase of nearly 15 percent. The report ranks West Virginia 43rd for child well-being, down from 37th in 2014.
And poverty remains the biggest problem facing Kentucky’s children, a trend affecting all other aspects of child well-being. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, says the KIDS COUNT report shows poverty afflicts one in four Kentucky youngsters.