California rises in child well-being ranking

But economic factors still pull Golden State’s kids to the bottom third of U.S.

With more investments in health, the well-being of California’s children continued its three-year improvement, new data shows.

At the same time, measurements in four broad categories of children’s welfare place the Golden State in the bottom third of the nation — 36th out of the 50 states, in an annual survey released Tuesday by the child-advocacy groups the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Children Now.

California’s overall ranking in children’s well-being moved up two places from last year, when it was 38th. In the nation as a whole, a robust economy and government policies and programs are helping children fare better: More high schoolers graduate on time, fewer children die, and more have health insurance.

“I feel in some ways optimistic,” said Laura Speer, an associate director at the Casey Foundation. “Young people, especially teenagers, are in a much better place” than they were decades before.

“And they did it during a time that was hard,” she said, “when their families were in stress, with a lot of negative pressure.”

But whether it’s because of an uneven recovery or a fundamental shift in the U.S. economy,

CALIFORNIA CHILD WELL-BEING RANKING

(Among the 50 states, with 1 the best) Overall rank: 36 Economic well-being: 47 Education: 35 Health: 11 Family and community: 41