The number of children living in poverty in Michigan has gone down, but still nearly 1 in 5 kids lives in poverty.
The observation comes from the release of the 2020 Kids Count in Michigan Project. The survey, from the Michigan League for Public Policy, which is supported by a large number of major foundations in Michigan.
2020 Kids Count in Michigan Data Profiles
2020 Kids Count Profiles by County
A release from the League highlighted several findings:
- Of Michigan children ages 0-17 in 2010, 23.4 percent were living in poverty, based on established poverty criteria. In 2018, it improved to 19.3 percent.
- In the school year 2018-2019, half of the kids in Michigan received free or reduced-price lunch.
- In what was described as a “bright spot”, children who had health coverage amounted to 97 percent.
- The number of families investigated for child abuse and neglect increased in the last 10 years by 71.8 percent. Confirmed abuse or neglect cases increased by 33.7 percent.
Internet access is, on average, widespread, with 87.7 percent of children age 0-17 in homes with internet. But county-by-county access ranges from 65 percent to 96 percent.
