Michigan ranks 33rd in the nation according to newly-released Kids Count data

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – The 2025 Kids Count study from the Annie E. Casey Foundation has officially been released.

According to the new data book, Michigan ranks 33rd in the nation when it comes to caring for children.

The study examines four categories: education, economic well-being, health, and family and community.

The state’s highest ranking is in the health category, where Michigan is ranked 22nd in the country.

Anne Kuhnen, a Kids Count policy director for the state, said part of the reason for this is due to the decline in teen birth rates. The trend was seen nationally as well, but on a bigger scale in Michigan.

“Teens who give birth, it’s hard both for their newborns as well as teen moms themselves. So teens moms are less likely to complete high school on time, they are more likely to be financially insecure, and at the same time babies who are born to teen moms are more likely to be born preterm, or low birth weight,” said Kuhnen.

The state’s lowest rank is in the education category, where Michigan ranks 44th in the nation.

Kuhnen told News 10 this could be due to a lack of funding for economically disadvantaged students, English-language learners and students with disabilities.

“The funding that we provide to schools to serve these at-risk students is just not sufficient, and when we compare to other states, we see that we’re really not providing sufficient funding to schools in order to serve them. Certainly, there’s been some action in the legislature to try and improve funding for that, but with the opportunity index, the last two budgets it got introduced, we haven’t provided full funding,” said Kuhnen.

Some other notable statistics for Michigan from the data book are listed below:

– Only 25% of fourth graders are proficient in reading

– 75% of eighth graders are not proficient in math

– There are 12,000 fewer children without health insurance compared to the last data book

– Michigan saw a 21% decline in the number of children living in high-poverty areas over the past few years

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