Missouri ranks 27th among states in child well-being, according to the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of recent indicators developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how kids are faring in post-pandemic America.
The economic well-being of Missouri’s children shows signs of improvement after the pandemic: In 2023 about 14 percent of Missouri children lived in poverty, down from 17 percent in 2019. Yet families still struggle in a state where – according to the Casey Foundation’s report – more than one in five households with children spent more than 30% of their income on housing in 2023.
The data shows a continuing need to invest in education in Missouri. Pre-kindergarten attendance has slipped (the number of 3- and 4-year-olds absent from pre-K increased by 6 percent over five years) in a state where early-childhood education has been a matter of significant focus and discussion. But for an indicator pertinent to older children, births to teens continued to decline in Missouri, by a factor of 20 percent from 2019 to 2023.
Children’s health remains an area of concern. For example, more Missouri babies were born at a low birth weight in 2023 than in 2019; and the reported overall rate of deaths among children increased by 16 percent from 2019 to 2023.
“By paying careful attention to what the indicators tell us, we can leverage resources wisely at the state, community and district-levels to ensure our children thrive.” Tracy Greever-Rice, program director of Missouri KIDS COUNT for the Family and Community Trust. The Family and Community Trust (FACT) is Missouri’s member of the Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT network.
Each year, the report presents data from 16 national and state indicators in four domains — economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors — and ranks the states according to how children are faring overall.
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