N.H. Has Lowest Child Poverty Rate In U.S.

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New Hampshire has the lowest percentage of poor and low-income children in the country.

The Census Bureau has some good news for New Hampshire: The state has the lowest child poverty rate in the country.  For a family with two parents and two kids, the government considers “poverty” as an annual income of $22,811.  So these results are not terribly surprising in a state that has one of the highest median incomes in the country, and a relatively low unemployment rate.  Even when you factor in the larger “low-income” category–the same family of four making less than double poverty wages ($45,622)–New Hampshire still has the best numbers in the country.

But it’s not all good news. 

The child poverty rate hasn’t been moving up much year-over-year.  But when you factor in low-income families, and look back to pre-recession 2007, the number of kids growing up in struggling families has increased by six percent.  That’s slightly higher than the national figure, and places New Hampshire toward the middle of the states.

Among the four regions the survey examined, the Northeast has the lowest percentage of poor and low-income children.  The table below shows how the New England states stack up.

Poor and Low-Income Children In New England

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