2012 KIDS COUNT Press Release 

The Annie E. Casey Foundation updated the 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book this year. Alabama's overall ranking is 45th nationally, showing improvements in all four key indicators dealing with Education and three out of four key indicators dealing with Health. 

“While ranking 45th in child well-being is not cause for celebration when viewed alone, the fact that the state is making progress is encouraging,” said Linda Tilly, executive director of VOICES for Alabama’s Children. “This report, coming on the heels of the Southern Regional Education Board report, ranks Alabama as the leader in the nation for improvements in reading scores. This indicates that the work of child advocates, community programs, and policymakers who make children a priority, is paying off.”

“The report shows both progress and challenges for Alabama,” stated Tilly. “We have made positive strides in several areas. Because of the new Data Book format, we can’t compare overall rankings to past years when only 10 measures were used. Using more complete data, however, shows that, relative to other states, Alabama compares more favorably than many expected.”

See more detail on how Alabama and the rest of the nation ranked in the 2012 KIDS COUNT Data below:

Alabama National Comparison

US Overall Comparison

2012 National KIDS COUNT Data Book

You can access the national KIDS COUNT Data Center here.

The 2013 National KIDS COUNT Data Book will be released Summer 2013.

The 2013 Alabama Kids Count Data Book, a research publication measuring
child well-being on thirteen indicators for each of the 67 counties
throughout Alabama, will be released September 2013.