Latest Indiana Kids Count Data Book shows sobering statistics for county, area

The Indiana Youth Institute has released an report on a range of indicators for child and family wellbeing across the state — including Bartholomew County and the surrounding area — and plans to hold an event in Columbus next week to discuss local findings.

The report, called the 2025 Indiana Kids Count Data Book, offers county-level data on several indicators of child and family wellbeing, ranging from social isolation and foster care to teen births and juvenile delinquency. The event, called the Indiana Youth Institute’s 2025 State of the Child in Bartholomew County, will be held Thursday at The REC at NexusPark.

The event, which is being held in partnership with the Council for Youth Development, is free and open to the public, though people must register in advance to attend.

Council for Youth Development Director Sara Dunlap said her organization has not yet “gotten too in-depth” with the data in the new report but said it provides a “good picture overall from a statewide perspective.”

The Indiana Youth Institute is a nonprofit that seeks to increase the wellbeing of children through innovative trainings, critical data and capacity-building resources for people in the youth services field, according to its website.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to come and hear about what is happening with our youth,” Dunlap said. “People hear bits and pieces about youth wellbeing in our community, but this is a really good picture overall from a statewide perspective.”

Teen births

The report shows that teen births in Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings counties rose in 2022 compared to the previous year, with one teenager giving birth every 2.6 days over the two-year period.

The teen birth rate also rose in all three counties in 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for females ages 15 to 19 and the data in the report. The teen birth rate is generally defined as the number of births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The report does not include the Census Bureau estimates.

Teen pregnancy can have significant negative impacts on the health, education and future life prospects of young mothers, their babies, and the wider community, according to the World Health Organization.

A total of 276 teenagers ages 15 to 19 in Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings counties gave birth in 2021 and 2022, including 42 teenage girls ages 15 to 17 in 2022, according to the data book, which cites figures from the Indiana Department of Health.

In Bartholomew County, there were 55 teen births in 2021 and 61 in 2022, including 15 teenage girls ages 15 to 17 in 2022, according to the report.

Jackson County had the highest teen birth rate among the 86 counties Indiana in 2022 where data was available, while Jennings County had the third highest rate that year. Bartholomew County had the 15th highest rate in 2022.

Child removals

The number of children removed from their homes in Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings counties doubled in 2024 compared the year before, according to the report.

A total of 302 children were removed from households in the three counties in 2024, up from 157 in 2023.

In Bartholomew County, child removals increased from 86 to 146 over the period, while child removals in Jackson County rose from 45 to 104 and from 26 to 52 in Jennings County.

Child removals refer to the number of children that the Indiana Department of Child Services have removed from the care of a parent, guardian or custodian.

DCS removes children from homes if a reasonable person believes the child’s physical or mental condition is seriously impaired or endangered due to the actions or neglect of the parent, guardian or custodian, according to the report. This includes situations where the child is not provided with necessary food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education or supervision, and court intervention is needed to ensure the child’s protection.

A common step toward removing child from a home is designating the child as a child in need of service, or CHIN.

CHINS cases in Bartholomew County soared during the first half of last year, surpassing the full-year 2023 total by late August, according to county records.

As of Aug. 27, a total of 117 CHINS cases had been filed in Bartholomew County last year, compared to 102 cases filed during all of 2023 and 87 cases in 2022.

Lead

The report also shows that a dozen children in Bartholomew County in 2023 were found to have elevated levels of a neurotoxin in their blood that is associated with developmental delays and other negative health effects.

In 2023, 12 Bartholomew County children had elevated levels of lead in their blood, according to the report, which cites records from the Indiana Department of Health.

The Indiana Department of Health definition for elevated levels of lead as more than 3.5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of whole blood, the report states.

Lead is a naturally occurring metal associated with several negative health effects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People can be exposed to lead by ingesting contaminated food or water, eating lead paint chips or breathing in lead dust.

There are no safe levels of lead in the blood, according to the CDC. Even low levels of lead in blood are associated with developmental delays, difficulty learning and behavioral issues. The effects of lead poisoning can be permanent and disabling.

However, the data in the report may not paint a complete picture of childhood exposure to lead in Bartholomew County.

The figures in the report are based on lead test results submitted to the Indiana Department of Health, which received results for 1,447 children in Bartholomew County in 2023.

That is just a fraction of 20,095 children that the U.S. Census Bureau estimates were living in Bartholomew County in 2023.

Data on elevated lead tests was not available for Jackson or Jennings counties.