Illinois ranks 20th in nation for child well-being, new report shows
Illinois ranks 20th in overall child well-being, according to a new report that reveals concerning declines in education and health outcomes.
The 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, analyzes how children and families are faring nationwide.
For the first time, states received a comprehensive child well-being score ranging from 0 to 1,000, in addition to their ranking. Illinois earned a score of 615, above the national average of 547, according to the foundation.
The score reflects performance across 16 indicators in four domains: economic well-being; education; health; and family and community.
Illinois ranks in the top half nationally across most indicators.
It ranks highest in education — seventh nationally — while scoring 23rd in health, 24th in economic well-being, and 25th in family and community context, the report says.
Illinois continues to outperform much of the nation in several areas, including ranking seventh nationally in preschool enrollment and eighth grade math proficiency.
But there also are some slips in educational recovery since the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven in 10 Illinois fourth graders were not proficient in reading in 2024, up from 66% in 2019. Preschool enrollment also declined compared to pre-pandemic levels, despite Illinois maintaining a top-10 national ranking, the report says.
Meanwhile, the state saw a large decline in teen birth rates during the 2019 to 2024 study period.
The report also highlights troubling trends that could affect long-term health outcomes for children and families.
Illinois saw a sharper increase than the national average in child and teen mortality — significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, Illinois recorded 23 deaths per 100,000 children and teens ages 1 to 19. By 2024, that rate rose to 27 deaths per 100,000, the report says.
Also, one in four Illinois children now lives in families where neither parent has full-time, year-round employment, underscoring growing economic pressure amid rising costs for housing, food, transportation, and childcare, the report says.
“While Illinois continues to demonstrate strengths in areas like early childhood education and academic achievement, these findings also make clear that too many children and families are still navigating instability and barriers that impact long-term well-being,” said Loukisha Pennix, chief youth and family potential officer at YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, a member of the KIDS COUNT network.
“The data reinforces what communities and families have been telling us for years: investments in children cannot stop at access alone,” she said. “Families need sustained support systems that strengthen economic stability, educational opportunity, health outcomes, and community safety.”
2026 KCDB profile IL.pdf