Tracking Child Well-Being in U.S. Cities: Results from the American Community Survey

Mark S. Mather, Population Reference Bureau
Kerri L. Rivers, Population Reference Bureau

This poster summarizes the findings of a forthcoming report on the well-being of children in the 50-largest cities in the United States. In this analysis, special emphasis is given to understanding the types of city environments that are both favorable and unfavorable for children. We first analyze decennial census data to develop a framework for the analysis, creating categories of cities based on population size, the change in the child population from 1990 to 2000, racial/ethnic composition, or other characteristics. Then using data from the 2000-2004 American Community Survey, we analyze recent trends in child well-being for different categories of U.S. cities. We also compare trends in the well-being of children nationwide with trends based on a 50-city average to see if conditions for children in cities have improved or worsened relative to children in the United States as a whole.