Georgia child well-being progress stalls, Kids Count report finds

After years of steady improvement, Georgia’s progress on child well-being has stalled, according to the 2026 Kids Count Data Book.

The report examines data related to youth outcomes and ranks Georgia as the 39th state in the nation for overall child and family well-being.

Jacquan Jordan is the data manager for the Georgia Family Connection Partnership. He said one of the largest warning signs is the rate of babies born at a low birth weight. In the U.S., 8.5% of babies meet that metric. 

“Very high for a developed nation,” Jordan pointed out. “For us as a state to have 10.3%, it really is one of those indicators for us to pay particular attention to, especially considering that is an indicator that also tells you about food nutrition in the community, access to prenatal care.”

Several metrics in the report were found to be worse compared to data in 2019. Housing has become much less affordable, and education metrics around reading and math proficiency have seen a downturn. 

Jordan said Georgia can implement meaningful interventions now or fall further behind.

Leslie Boissiere is the vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the organization that publishes the report. She said the data reflects the daily realities of children and families in the state.

“It’s a child who either has enough to eat or doesn’t have enough to eat,” Boissiere explained. “It’s a child who is either in a stable home and has access to quality education to put themselves on the pathway to thrive, or it’s a child who doesn’t have those necessities.”

Some positive trends that the report highlighted are less children living in poverty, high school students graduating on time and less teen births.