Florida Holds Steady at 35th in National Child Wellbeing Rankings
Florida stays at 35th nationally for child wellbeing despite education gains, with housing costs and healthcare access remaining major challenges for families.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Florida maintained its 35th place ranking among all states for child wellbeing in the latest Kids Count Data Profile, showing mixed results across key categories that measure children’s health, education, and family stability.
The 2026 report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation revealed improvements in some areas, with Florida jumping four spots in education to 15th place compared to last year’s report. The state’s family and community category also improved, moving up one spot to 29th place.
However, Florida’s children’s health category dropped three places to 35th, offsetting gains in other areas.
Education Shows Promise Despite Overall Stagnation
The education ranking improvement represents progress toward Florida’s fifth place ranking from two years ago. The category’s overall improvement reflects better graduation rates, according to the report.
“Florida is making some progress towards improving the state’s child well-being, but the level of investment is not moving the needle in helping Florida families with affordability in housing, access to childcare, and access to medical care, namely Medicaid,” said Norín Dollard, Kids Count director at Florida Policy Institute.
The data compiled by the foundation examines children’s ability to read, obesity rates, parental financial stability, teen pregnancy rates, and death statistics. Most of Florida’s data in the 2026 report comes from 2024 statistics.
Mixed Results in Key Indicators
The report showed some positive trends, with fewer children giving birth as teenagers or living in poverty compared to 2025 data. Teen deaths also decreased slightly, dropping from 29 in the 2025 report to 28 in the current analysis.
Employment security among parents improved marginally, with 25% of children having parents who lack secure employment in 2026, down from 26% in the previous year’s report.
Housing affordability continues to present challenges for Florida families. The report found that 39% of children live in households with high housing cost burdens, representing a one percent increase from last year and three percent higher than 2019 data.
Persistent Challenges in Child Welfare
The stagnant overall ranking highlights ongoing struggles in addressing fundamental issues affecting Florida’s children. Despite improvements in specific categories like education and family stability, the state has been unable to move significantly in national standings.
The health category’s decline to 35th place particularly concerns advocates, as it encompasses factors including childhood obesity rates and access to medical care. The report’s emphasis on Medicaid access reflects broader healthcare challenges facing Florida families.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Profile serves as an annual assessment of child wellbeing across all 50 states, measuring progress in four key areas: health, education, economic wellbeing, and family and community factors.
