Minnesota Ranks 5th in U-S in Annual KIDS COUNT Survey

The 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book shows Minnesota is still one of the top states for raising a child.

Alex Fitzsimmons is with Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota…

“So the good news is that for the third year in a row Minnesota ranks fifth overall in terms of child well-being.”

While the ranking is respectable, areas of the new study show that Minnesota also has some of the worst racial disparities in the U-S…

“So even though only like six percent of white children are living in poverty, if we look at the same number for our children who are Black and African American, it’s almost five times that. It’s 28 percent of Black and African American children are living in poverty.”

The report looks at 16 indicators of child well-being under four groups – education, health, family and community, and economic well-being.