Child Poverty in Our Own Backyard — One in Six Children Lives in Poverty in America

Children in rural America suffer the most:

• 20 percent of the children living in rural America — a total of 2.6 million children — live below the poverty line.
• Poverty rates are higher for children in rural areas than those in urban areas — 20 percent versus 17.5 percent.
• 48 of the 50 counties with the highest child poverty rates in the U.S. are rural.

Poor children in America face significant challenges to achievement in education:

• 54 percent of 4th graders from low-income families scored below a basic level of reading achievement nationwide.
• Poor children are less likely to graduate from high school, go to college and attain a job that will make them financially self-sufficient.

Rural children face additional challenges:

• Poor rural students face barriers to education, including long distances to school and a shortage of qualified teachers.
• Rural parents have the lowest education levels of any demographic group, a disparity that affects their children.

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in America:

• Currently, one-third of American children and adolescents are either overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.
• Over the past 30 years, the childhood obesity rate has nearly tripled for preschool children, and more than quadrupled for children ages 6-11.