W.Va. Drops In National Study Of Children’s Well-Being

Charleston, WV (AP) — A national report on the well-being of children shows West Virginia has dropped in the rankings among the states despite improving its overall health and social factors. The Kids Count report released Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks West Virginia 43rd among the 50 states, down from 40th a year ago. West Virginia moved up four spots to 31st for health indicators for children and improved one spot to 34th for nurturing families and supportive communities. The state’s ranking for education fell from 39th to 43rd while its economic well-being for children dipped from 47th to 48th. The report says West Virginia lost 15% of its child-age population between 1990 and 2017, the third-highest percentage drop among the states.