23 percent of Nevada children live in poverty

By Jackie Valley

Tuesday, July 21, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Nearly 1 in 4 of Nevada’s youngest residents were living in poverty in 2013, according to the most recent data in a new report released today.

The 2015 KIDS Count, an annual report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, found that Nevada’s child poverty rate jumped from 15 percent in 2008 to 23 percent in 2013. A greater percentage of the state’s children lived in poverty in 2013 than did during the recession, which lasted from 2007 to 2009 according to the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research.

Nevada’s numbers reflect a national trend: About 1.7 million more children live in low-income families today than during the Great Recession, the study found.

“Although we are several years past the end of the recession, millions of families still have not benefited from the economic recovery,” Patrick McCarthy, president and CEO of the Casey Foundation, said in a statement. “While we’ve seen an increase in employment in recent years, many of these jobs are low-wage and cannot support even basic family expenses.”

Nevada ranks 47th among states in overall child well-being, up one spot from last year. The study found that Nevada ranks 43rd in family and community development indicators, like children living in high-poverty areas; 46th in health statistics, like low birthweight babies; 46th in economic well-being, including parents lacking secure employment; and 50th in educational achievement, including 69% of Nevada’s children not attending pre-school.

“Although Nevada’s overall child well-being ranking improved from last year, too many children in Nevada are still struggling,” Dr. Rennae Daneshvary, director of Nevada KIDS COUNT, said in a statement.

According to the study, children fared best in Minnesota, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, which ranked those states as the top three. At the bottom of the list, Nevada was followed by Louisiana, New Mexico and Mississippi.