Study: Somerset County Ranked Third in State in Child Well-Being

Somerset County placed in the top three in the state of New Jersey when it comes to child well-being, a recent study said.

Somerset County held steady in third in the “New Jersey Kids Count” report, after being ranked in the same spot last year. The report is an annual effort to track the relative “well-being” of children across the state.

The Advocates for Children of New Jersey, a nonprofit that works with elected officials to identify and work to enhance the welfare of children, conducted the study.

Somerset County improved in a few areas, including a decrease in child poverty and increases in median family income and the percent of low-income children receiving breakfast at school, the report said. Fewer county households also spent too much money on rent, jumping to No. 1 in the state from No. 8 the previous year.

Child poverty in the county has dropped steadily in recent years -- 8 percent in 2012 to 5 percent in 2013, and third statewide in terms of lowest percentage of child poverty. During this same time, median family income increased from $112,000 in 2012 to nearly $130,000 in 2013, the report said.

Other trends in the report include:

• A smaller percent of county households spending more than the recommended 30 percent of income on rent. In 2012, 50 percent of Somerset County households spent more than the recommended 30 percent of income, which dropped to 38 percent in 2013.
• The county saw an increase in the percentage of low-income students getting breakfast at school, jumping from 17 percent of eligible in 2012-2013 to 29 percent of eligible students in 2013-2014. Despite the double-digit increase, the report state Somerset County still fed less than the statewide average of 41 percent of eligible children.
• Child care costs also dropped in the county, the report said. The average Somerset family spent a smaller portion of their income on child care in 2013, dropping to 21 percent from 24 percent in 2012. The county jumped up to sixth place statewide.

METHODOLOGY

The study analyzes data from several state agencies such as the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Department of Children and Families, Department of Community Affairs, Department of Education and Department of Health and Senior Services, in addition to federal agencies such as the U.S. Census and the IRS.

Ranking factors included: Child population, percentage of children in poverty, median income, percentage of women who receive prenatal care, teen births, infant mortality, child abuse investigations, juvenile arrests and educational statistics.

Here is the full report on Somerset County and the Advocates for Children of New Jersey’s methodology.