Post Author
Emily Blevins
Communications Director
RALEIGH— New data from statewide child advocacy nonprofit NC Child shows how North Carolina’s children and families are faring when it comes to issues including maternal and infant health, educational attainment, economic security, safety, and health and wellness. NC Child aggregates the data for their annual County Data Cards from the most recent reports made available by public agencies and filters the numbers by county and demographics, in addition to providing a statewide snapshot.
Statewide, the data shows that median household income in North Carolina increased by more than $5,600 in 2022, rising to $66,186, and that the number of children living in poor or low-income homes dropped slightly to 41.1 percent. “Despite gains in household incomes, we also unfortunately saw a sharp rise in children living in food insecure homes,” said NC Child Executive Director Erica Palmer Smith. “In North Carolina, 19.6 percent of children—almost one in five kids—do not have steady access to food.”
Because the data used in the County Data Cards comes from the most publicly available reports, the 4.1 percent increase in the number of children living in food insecure households was recorded before pandemic-era food assistance expired, meaning that this metric is likely to rise over the next few years.
“Even with the rise in median household income, this sharp increase in the number of children who don’t have enough to eat tells us that families are still struggling to afford household necessities,” said Smith. “We look forward to working with the North Carolina General Assembly to advance policies that address family economic security and ensure that our state’s children don’t go to bed hungry.”
In 2019, 56.8 percent of third graders statewide were proficient in reading—but that number dropped by more than 10% between 2020-2021. The 2024 County Data Cards show that statewide, only 47.8 percent of third graders are proficient in reading.
“Reading proficiency is a key indicator when it comes to education and how we’re preparing our children for the future, and while there was a slight increase from last year’s report, we have a long way to go to catch up to our pre-pandemic numbers,” said Smith. “Education starts early, and we can improve learning outcomes by ensuring that our state’s children have access to early education programs that provide essential building blocks to success.”
Other key findings from NC Child’s 2024 County Data Cards show a slight increase in the number of high school students graduating on time and that the statewide percentage of children without health insurance declined slightly, as did the percentages of babies born at a low birthweight and babies born pre-term.
“Thanks to Medicaid expansion, we anticipate seeing positive improvements in child and family health over the coming years,” said Smith. “But right now, the data is clear. We must take action to address family economic security and early learning outcomes so our state’s more than 2.2 million children can grow up healthy, strong, and prepared for the future.”
The 2024 County Data Cards are available on NC Child’s website at ncchild.org/datacards.
About NC Child
NC Child is a nonprofit organization that advances public policies to ensure that every child in North Carolina has the opportunity to thrive, whatever their race, ethnicity, or place of birth. For more information, visit ncchild.org.
Media Inquiries
Emily Blevins
Communications Director
emily@ncchild.org
919-726-6325
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