2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book Reveals Impact of the Recession on South Carolina's Children

Today, Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book which tracks the well-being of children at the national, state and local levels using indicators in the areas of education, employment and income, health, poverty and youth risk factors.

South Carolina continues to rank 45th in the nation for child well-being based on the KIDS COUNT 10 key indicators.  Most upsetting is that approximately 260,000 children, one of every four, live in poverty. What’s more, half of all South Carolina's children (approximately 520,000) live in low-income families at twice the poverty line. (According to the 2011 Federal Poverty Guidelines, the 2011 poverty level for a family of four is $22,350 which breaks down to $1,863 a month. The income for a family of four at 200 percent of the poverty level is $44,700 or $3,725 a month.)

As a result of the Great Recession, the annual KIDS COUNT data also examined two additional indicators:  unemployment and foreclosure. Some key highlights include the following:

• 140,000 children in South Carolina are in families with one or both parents unemployed.
• 11 percent of children (113,000) in South Carolina had at least one unemployed parent during 2010. 
• South Carolina had the 2nd highest percentage in the nation (6.6%) of children with all resident parents unemployed and the 3rd highest percentage in the nation (13.6%) with at least one resident parent unemployed in 2009.
• The foreclosure numbers are also troubling, as 3 percent (53,000) of children were affected by foreclosure during 2007 through 2009, ranking South Carolina tied for 14th in the U.S.

South Carolina's worst rankings are for low birth weight (47th), infant and child deaths (47th), single parent families (47th), and child poverty (41st).  Since the release of the KIDS COUNT data books beginning 20 years ago, South Carolina has consistently ranked 45th.

"The results are startling,” according to Baron Holmes, project director for KIDS COUNT South Carolina. “Increased child poverty resulting from the Great Recession highlights long-existing curses of low education, low employment and persistent poverty. Until education and employment are improved dramatically in South Carolina, the wellbeing of children in South Carolina will remain in the bottom 6 or 8 states, as it has been over the past two decades."

A coalition of organizations supporting children and families across South Carolina, including the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, are reviewing the economic data and mitigation efforts in order to identify opportunities for improvement.


SC Kids Count is sponsored by the Office of Research and Statistics of the S.C. Budget and Control Board. For release of the 2011 Kids Count Data Book, SC Kids Count is collaborating with the Children’s Trust of South Carolina and the USC Children’s Law Center.