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Louisiana remains one of the worst states for child well-being

The Kids Count report was released Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private research and policy organization.
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Flag of Louisiana painted on grungy wooden background

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana remained at number 49 in an annual national assessment of child well-being.

The Kids Count report was released Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private research and policy organization. The annual ranking measures states on 16 indicators from 2017 data covering topics like health, education and economic well-being. 

As it was the last year, the state was 50th in measures of economic well-being. The report on Louisiana said 307,000 children in the state live in poverty and 371,000 are in households where parents lack secure employment. Those numbers were lower than last year's, but not enough to lift the ranking.

The state dropped from 47th to 48th in education. Factors in that category include data showing high percentages of fourth-graders not proficient in reading and eighth-graders not proficient in math.

Louisiana also surpassed the nationwide rates of low-weight births and child-and teen deaths.

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