From being ranked very last (51st, to be exact) to next-to-last, 49th, in 2025, Louisiana has ranked poorly among the states for thirty-six years. The following table is a sample of Louisiana’s KIDS COUNT headlines from articles that report, through the years, our state’s poor ranking in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual KIDS COUNT Data Book. The 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book was updated on June 9.
Louisiana Kids Count Headlines, 1990-2023
No one can claim surprise that Louisiana’s children rank so poorly on child well-being. The history of headlines in Louisiana’s newspapers covers the entire 36-year period of the KIDS COUNT Reports.
| Year | Rank | Headline |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 51 | Wiley Hilburn Jr., Judy Johnson, Frank May. (1991, June 22) “Fund the future: State must prove kids do count”. The Times, pp. 16A |
| 1991 | 49 | Thao Hua. (1992, March 30) “The Poor Kids: Children pay a high price for poverty”. The Times, pp. 9A |
| 1992 | 49 | Thao Hua. (1992, March 23) “La. ranks worst in child poverty”. The Times, pp. 1A |
| 1992 | 49 | Nichele Hoskins, Rodney Grunes. (1992, March 24) “Leading Indicators: Children’s poverty costs us in more ways than one”. The Times, pp. 17A |
| 1992 | 49 | Bill Decker. (1992, March 23) “Report: State ranked 49th, Louisiana among worst for helping its children. The Daily Advertiser, pp. 1 |
| 1993 | 49 | Mary Foster. (1993, March 29) “Kids at risk. Report: many La. Children face poor odds from start”. The Town Talk, pp. A1, A2 |
| 1993 | 49 | David Westerfield. (1993, March 29) “Blight takes the bloom out of Louisiana youth”. The Times, pp. 1A, 2A |
| 1993 | 49 | Richard Whitmire. (1993, March 29) “Study: ‘At risk’ children, families keep increasing”. The Times, pp. 2A |
| 1993 | 49 | Mary Foster. (1993, March 29) “La. Child poverty rate is 2nd in U.S.: Idle teenager percentage tops nation”. Daily World, pp. 2 |
| 1993 | 49 | NEW ORLEANS. (AP). (1993, March 29) “La. Children: Odds against them”. St. Mary and Franklin Banner-Tribune, pp. 4 |
| 1993 | 49 | Bill Decker. (1993, March 29) “Study: Children in danger in state”. The Daily Advertiser, pp. A1, A4 |
| 1994 | 49 | Jack Mitchell. (1994, April 25) “La. life hard on kids: State ranks 49th in child quality of life”. The Times, pp. 1B, 2B |
| 1995 | 50 | Bill Decker. (1995, April 26) “50th in the nation: Louisiana behind in caring for children”. The Daily Advertiser, pp. A1 |
| 1996 | 50 | NEW ORLEANS. (AP). (1996, June 3) “Kids count last in Louisiana”. Daily World, pp. 1,13 |
| 1996 | 50 | Wiley Hilburn Jr., Frank May, Martha H. Fitzgerald. (1996, June 21) “Kids Count: Have mercy on state’s children”. The Times, pp. 4B |
| 1997 | 50 | Jeff Conrad. (1997, May 5) “Kid Stats: La. worst among states in children’s well-being”. The Town Talk, pp. A1, A2 |
| 1998 | 50 | Cindy Urrea. (1998, May 5) “Study: Louisiana worst state to be a child”. The Daily Advertiser, pp. 7A |
| 1999 | 49 | Claire Taylor. (1999, September 26) “Child welfare improvements fall short”. Sunday Advertiser, pp. 1A, 10A |
| 2000 | 50 | Alisa Singley. (2000, January 30) “Louisiana’s children fight the odds”. The Times, pp. 11A |
| 2000 | 50 | Angela Watkins. (2000, June 20) “Louisiana’s children suffer: state ranks 50th in child well-being” and “Children: Despite improvements, state still trails nation”. The Times, pp. 1A, 2A |
| 2001 | 49 | NEW ORLEANS. (AP). (2001, February 20) “Study: La. lags in child health care”. The Daily Advertiser, pp. 8A |
| 2001 | 49 | The Associated Press. (2001, February 20) “Study paints bleak picture for children”. The Daily Review, pp. 6 |
| 2002 | 49 | Louisiana Voices. (2002, June 9) “Children in Louisiana still deserve better”. The News-Star, pp. 3B |
| 2003 | 49 | Staff and wire reports. (2003, June 12) “Study: State ranks 49th, Well-being of children still major concern. The News-Star, pp. 3A, 4A |
| 2003 | 49 | The Times Editorial Board. (2003, July 6) “LA’s at 49 and holding: Do children count?”. The Times, pp. 61 |
| 2004 | 49 | Jim Bradshaw. (2004, June 3) “State among worst in nation for children affected by poverty”. The Daily Advertiser, pp. 3B |
| 2005 | 49 | Karina Donica. (2005, August 1) “Fighting against all odds: Report shows Louisiana tops list of children living in poverty”. The News-Star, pp. 1A, 8A |
| 2006 | 49 | Jordan Blum. (2006, June 28) “La. 49th in child well-being”. The News-Star, pp. 1A, 10A |
| 2007 | 49 | NEW ORLEANS. (AP). (2007, July 26) “Report: State’s children face challenges”. Abbeville Meridional, pp. 3 |
| 2007 | 49 | Mary Jimenez. (2007, July 25) “Kids Count data point finger at state”. The Times, pp. 4B |
| 2007 | 49 | Times Editorial Staff. (2007, July 25) “Time to say, ‘Enough!’”. The Times, pp. B1 |
| 2008 | 49 | Mandy M. Goodnight. (2008, June 13) “Mississippi only state below Louisiana in child well-being study”. The Town Talk, pp. A1, A4 |
| 2009 | 49 | New Orleans. (2009, December 6) “Estimated 29% of Acadia children living in poverty”. The Rayne Acadian-Tribune, pp. 10 |
| 2010 | 49 | Reprint Town Talk Editorial. (2010, July 30) “Report: For kids, Louisiana is trouble”. The News-Star, pp. 3B |
| 2011 | 49 | AUTHOR. (2011, August 17) “Louisiana ranks at bottom for child welfare”. Daily Comet, pp. WEB |
| 2011 | 49 | AUTHOR. (2011, August 17) “La. ranks 49th in children’s wellbeing”. The Advocate, pp. WEB |
| 2011 | 49 | AUTHOR. (2011, August 17) “Louisiana ranks 49th nationwide in child welfare survey”. The Times-Picayune, pp. WEB |
| 2012 | 47 | Jeff Matthews. (2012, July 26) “State improves in annual kids survey, but economic issues still a hurdle for many”. The Town Talk, pp. A1, A5 |
| 2013 | 46 | Susan Montoya Bryan. (2013, June 25) “Report: Economic well-being of kids slips”. The Town Talk, pp. A1, A2 |
| 2014 | 47 | AUTHOR. (2014, July 22) “Louisiana’s kids are worse off than those in 46 other states, report says”. The Times-Picayune, pp. WEB |
| 2015 | 48 | Alexandria Burris and Jennifer Calfas. (2015, July 23) “Louisiana is at the bottom of another list: Child poverty numbers called ‘disturbing’”. Daily World, pp. A1, A3 |
| 2015 | 48 | Lex Talamo. (2015, November 10) “State among worst places to be a child”. The Daily Advertiser, pp. 9A, 14A |
| 2015 | 48 | Editorial Board. (2015, July 23) “La. Almost last in Kids Count 2015”. The News-Star, pp. 5B |
| 2015 | 48 | Jennifer Calfas. (2015, July 22) “More children in poverty now than during recession”. The News-Star, pp. 10A |
| 2015 | 48 | AUTHOR. (2015, July 22) “Louisiana near bottom in Kids Count 2015”. The News-Star, pp. |
| 2016 | 48 | Miranda Klein. (2016, June 21) “Report: Louisiana’s youth too poor, too sickly, well-being of kids is among worst in US”. The Town Talk, pp. 1A, 8A |
| 2017 | 48 | AUTHOR. (2017, June 13) “‘Family values state’ that doesn’t value families? Kids Count ranking reveals Louisiana’s challenges, some bright spots”. The Times-Picayune, pp. WEB |
| 2017 | 48 | Miranda Klein. (2017, June 13) “One in four Louisiana kids live in poverty”. The Town Talk, pp. 1A |
| 2018 | 49 | AUTHOR. (2018, June 29) “Without Pre-K, Louisiana children start off at a disadvantage”. The Times-Picayune, pp. WEB |
| 2019 | 49 | AUTHOR. (2019, June 18) “Louisiana remains one of the worst states for child well-being”. 4WWL.com, pp. WEB |
| 2019 | 49 | AUTHOR. (2019, June 24) “Louisiana ranked 49th in child welfare.” Louisiana Weekly, pp. WEB |
| 2022 | 49 | Jeff Palermo. (2022, August 8) “Louisiana performs poorly once again Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS Count report.” louisianaradionetwork.com, pp. WEB |
| 2023 | 49 | Emma Hurt. (2023, July 25) “Report: Louisiana one of the worst states for child wellbeing.” Axios New Orleans, pp. WEB |