NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A national report on the well-being of children ranks Tennessee 36th in the country for the second consecutive year.
The Kids Count Data Book is put out annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a nonprofit children’s advocacy group.
The report ranks child well-being across four domains with Tennessee ranking 38th in economic well-being, 36th in education, 30th in health and 37th in family and community. The state improved or remained the same on 11 of 16 measures.
Tennessee’s rank of 36th in 2014 was an overall improvement from 39th.
Although Tennessee continues to rank in the lower half of all states overall this year, it ranks better than all Southeastern states except Kentucky and North Carolina, 34th and 35th respectively.
CAPTION FILE – In this April 2, 2015, file photo, Michelle Halonen, enjoying the warm day with daughters Madilyn, left, and Ellie at a park in St. Louis Park, Minn., works full time at a gas station and still struggles to support her two young daughters. A new report on child welfare that found more U.S. children living in poverty than before the Great Recession belies the fanfare of the nation’s economic turnaround. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)
