PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island's children and families face deepening economic strain and persistent racial and ethnic inequities, according to the 2026 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook released Monday.
The annual report, which tracks child well-being across the state, documents worsening poverty rates and growing safety concerns while noting incremental improvements in some health and education indicators. This year's Factbook raises significant alarm about the erosion of data needed to monitor child well-being. Federal decisions have eliminated the USDA's annual Household Food Security Report – ending more than 30 years of data collection – while a 2025 executive order halted efforts to gather information on sexual orientation and gender identity in national surveys. Immunization data was delayed this year, and unemployment figures remain unavailable due to last year's government shutdown.
"Problems like food insecurity, maternal mortality, and high suicide rates among LGBTQ+ youth will not go away just because the data is not there, but not having the data will make it harder to improve child well-being and solve these problems together," the Factbook states.
For the first time, Newport was added to Rhode Island's list of core cities – joining Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket – reflecting a significant geographic shift in child poverty. From 2020 to 2024, Newport had the second-highest childhood poverty rate in the state at 32%, trailing only Central Falls at 33%.
Overall, child poverty in Rhode Island climbed to 16.3% in 2024, up from 13.3% in 2023 and above the national rate of 15.5%. The Factbook notes that 69% of children living in poverty in Rhode Island reside in just those five cities.
Racial and ethnic disparities remain stark across every domain the Factbook measures. Black children are uninsured at a rate of 9%, compared to 3.7% statewide. Hispanic children are approximately 18 times more likely to live in high-poverty neighborhoods than non-Hispanic white children. In the justice system, Black youth account for 26% of those at the Training School despite representing just 6% of the child population.
The Factbook describes these gaps as "a defining feature of child well-being in Rhode Island," noting they span health, economic and community indicators and reinforce "the need for policies that address structural inequities."
This year's Factbook includes a new section on immigrant children and youth, recognizing what it calls their "growing presence" in Rhode Island.
Roughly one in eight state residents is foreign-born, and nearly 30% of all children live in an immigrant family – a figure rising to 58% among Hispanic children. The number of public school students identified as immigrants has more than tripled since 2012.
The Factbook documents that immigration enforcement is having measurable effects on school attendance, particularly among multilingual learners, and reports that "families and children are delaying or avoiding seeking health care" due to the presence of enforcement officers near clinics and hospitals.
Economic conditions for families have worsened considerably, according to the Factbook. Housing costs remain a central pressure point, with rents up 20% since 2015 even after adjusting for inflation and homeownership described as "out of reach for many families."
The number of students experiencing homelessness reached 1,994 during the 2024-2025 school year, a 36% increase from 2021-2022. Rhode Island voters approved a $120 million housing bond – the largest in state history – offering some relief.
The Factbook also highlights a new indicator on family tax credits, noting the Governor's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget includes the state's first permanent, refundable Child Tax Credit of $325 per child for low- and moderate-income families.
On safety, the Factbook documents rising youth homelessness and increasing justice system involvement. The number of unaccompanied homeless youth identified by school personnel more than doubled from the prior school year. Motions to try juveniles as adults reached their highest level since 2018, with 20 waiver motions filed in 2025.
The Factbook notes the average age of youth at the Training School was 16, but flags that 7% were younger than 14 – below the minimum age of criminal responsibility recommended by the United Nations.
Amid the challenges, the Factbook points to meaningful progress in child and maternal health. Infant mortality and preterm birth rates declined, breastfeeding rates rose and rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome fell.
Chronic absence dropped across all grade levels, and Early Intervention wait times shortened following recent rate increases.
The Factbook describes these as areas of "measurable progress," even as it warns that rising uninsured rates, Medicaid uncertainty and the closure of the Nurse-Family Partnership home visiting program threaten to reverse those gains.
Veer Mudambi is the special projects editor at the Providence Business News. He can be reached at mudambi@pbn.com.
