The Changing Child Population of the United States: Analysis of Data From the 2010 Census

Provides an overview of 2000-10 trends in the U.S. child population, including rate of growth compared with previous decades, changes in the share of Latino and racial minority populations, and changes at the state level and in large cities

Data on Children in Foster Care From the Census Bureau

Explores 2000 census data on foster children, data quality and potential for analysis, limitations, and the causes of those limitations. Highlights socioeconomic and other characteristics of foster families from 2006 American Community Survey data

Why Are Young Children Missed So Often in the Census?

Analyzes data on the high net undercount of children, examines contributing factors and consequences, and considers prospects for the 2010 census. Makes recommendations for child advocacy groups and nonprofits, including partnering with the Census Bureau

The Forgotten Fifth: Child Poverty in Rural America

Analyzes demographic trends among the one-fifth of poor children who live in rural areas and compares child poverty rates in rural and urban areas. Explores the roles of family structure, employment, and education and the effects of government assistance

Rural Children Increasingly Rely on Medicaid and State Child Health Insurance Programs for Medical Care

The increasing number of American children with health insurance coverage over the past ten years has been driven by increased coverage for children in low-income families, which is the result of expanded coverage by Medicaid and SCHIP. There is widespread agreement that the expansion of Medicaid and introduction of SCHIP have worked. The increased effectiveness of these public-sector health insurance programs more than offset the decrease in coverage through the private sector. Despite a recent flurry of reports on health insurance coverage for children, virtually none of them have examined the unique situation of rural families where one-fifth of all of our nation's poor children live. Data presented in this report show that the experience of children in small towns and rural areas often differs from the experience of their big-city counterparts. The nationwide shift to public-sector health insurance coverage for children is even more pronounced for rural America where more than one-third of all children rely on SCHIP and Medicaid for health care. Enrollment in SCHIP and Medicaid is 6 percentage points higher for rural children than for urban children. Given the deteriorating job situation in many parts of rural America, the availability of public-sector health insurance for the families of low-income workers is even more important in rural areas than in other parts of the country

Child Poverty High in Rural America

On Aug. 28, 2007, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey show that 22 percent of rural children are living in poverty, up from 19 percent in 2000. On average, rates are highest in the nonmetropolitan South (27 percent) and have climbed the most in the nonmetropolitan Midwest (by 3.9 percentage points). The child poverty rate is the most widely used indicator of child well-being because poverty is closely linked to undesirable outcomes in areas such as health, education, emotional welfare, and delinquency