NCJ Number
248963
Date Published
July 2015
Length
219 pages
Annotation
This report on the well-being of children in the United States in 2015 provides data on 41 key indicators in seven domains: family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health.
Abstract
There were 73.6 million children in the United States in 2014, which was 1.2 million more than in 2000. Racial and ethnic diversity have increased significantly in the last three decades. In 2014, 69 percent of children ages 0-17 lived with two parents; 24 percent lived with only their mothers, and 4 percent lived only with their fathers. In 2014, the percentages of 8th- 10th- and 12th-graders who reported smoking cigarettes daily in the last 30 days were the lowest since data collection began in 1980. Youth binge drinking continued to decline. From 2013 to 2014, reports of illicit drug use in the past 30 days remained steady at 8 percent, 19 percent, and 26 percent, respectively, for 8th -, 10th-, and 12th- graders. In 2013, 92 percent of young adults ages 18-24 had completed high school with a diploma or an alternative credential. In 2013, 66 percent of high school graduates enrolled in a 2-year or 4-year college in the fall following high-school graduation. Regarding health, the infant mortality rate of 6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012 was unchanged from 2011. The diet quality of children and adolescents fell significantly short of Federal recommendations in 2009-2010. Overall, the percentage of children ages 0-17 who were unable to receive or were delayed in receiving medical care, dental care, or prescription drugs declined from 8 percent in 2002 to 4 percent in 2012. Extensive tables and appended data source descriptions
Date Published: July 1, 2015