Arizona Ranks 40th in 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book
Arizona ranks 40th overall in child well-being, up from last year’s ranking of 42nd, according to the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of recent data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The data show a step in the right direction and also that Arizona leaders must do more to put affordable housing, health care, and preschool within reach of families to meet unmet needs.
“Families who are working so hard to rise above the poverty line are also facing higher costs for food, gas, housing, and child care. When a family’s purchasing power is decreasing, it’s hard to catch up and feel peace of mind. The tough decisions that come with financial stress impact the whole family, including kids,” said January Contreras, Executive Director of Children’s Action Alliance, a member of the Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT network.
The current and prior KIDS COUNT DATA Books show that:
- In 2024, the share of children in Arizona living in poverty remained unchanged from the prior year’s 15% in 2023. The national rate is 15%.
- The share of children in Arizona living in households with a high housing cost burden remains stubbornly high at 29%, nearly one out of every three children. The national rate is even higher at 31%.
- The share of children in Arizona who are uninsured continues to be among the highest in the country at 9%. The national rate is much lower at 6%.
- The share of three and four-year old children not in school in 2020–2024 in Arizona is 65%, significantly higher than then the national rate of 54%.
- 36% of children in Arizona live in single-parent families compared to the national rate of 34%.
According to the KIDS COUNT Data Center, the median income by family type varies widely: In Arizona, the median income for a two-parent household with children is $121,930; for a single father with children is $60,300; for a grandparent raising a grandchild without a parent in the home is $51,211, and for a single mom with children is $44,093. Policymakers must understand that disparities in family income often impact a child’s opportunities and access to health care, food, housing, and child care.
In addition to comprehensive data available at the Data Center, the Data Book reports on 16 indicators of child well-being based on data from 2019 to 2024. Arizona’s highest ranking was in economic well-being where the state ranked 31st, and its lowest ranking was in education, where Arizona ranked 47th, among the five lowest scoring states in the country, according to the 2024 data in the Data Book.
Children’s Action Alliance recognizes important actions taken by Governor Hobbs and the Arizona State Legislature including increased funding for affordable child care, and expansion of Kids Care for children in working families, and ensuring school meals are available to eligible children. We encourage lawmakers and communities to unite across party lines and respond at all levels of government by investing in young people.
As the Governor, legislature, and local leaders set the course for Arizona, Children’s Action Alliance urges policies that include:
- Staffing, technology, and public education to ensure that eligible children and families are not prevented from basic services through Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) simply due to costly and complicated administrative burdens imposed by new federal laws and regulations;
- Increased access to affordable child care;
- Increased access to affordable housing; and
- Increased support through the kinship stipend to support grandparents and kin raising their grandchildren; and
- Full funding for K-12 education.
