New York State is improving child well-being in some ways, but struggles to provide economic opportunity, a new annual report finds.
The state ranked 29th in the 2025 Kids Count Data Book, published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, matching its ranking in last year’s report. New York improved its health and education rankings, but a high cost of living is restraining the economic well-being of children.
Leslie Boissiere, vice president for external affairs at the foundation, said more teens are working or staying in school, and lawmakers need to help them find meaningful opportunities “with things like internships and apprenticeships, stronger, and in some cases, alternative education – so that they have an opportunity to thrive and to move forward from education and into the workforce.”
She added that state lawmakers shouldn’t get complacent due to some positive data. While education improved, a close reading of the report shows more fourth graders aren’t proficient in reading, and more eighth graders aren’t proficient in math. Both those rankings are higher than the national average. Boissiere feels states need to invest in areas like tutoring and consider new curriculum strategies to help struggling students.
It could be harder for states to invest in educational programs if the Trump-sponsored budget reconciliation bill passes through Congress. The bill could cost New York state’s government more than $15 billion annually, and kick 1.5 million people off their health insurance. Boissiere said she hopes lawmakers review the report’s data before making final decisions.
“I think it’s critically important that policymakers look at the data on food security in their community,” she said, “that they look at the data on access to healthcare, that they look at what’s been effective in driving child well-being.”
Previous estimates from the Fiscal Policy Institute found cuts from the budget reconciliation bill would eliminate 215,000 jobs statewide. 78,000 of these would be in health care, while another 136,000 would be spread over the rest of the economy.
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.