New report urges investments in Illinois child safety and quality of life

According to a new report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Illinois ranks 18th in overall child well-being. The group noted that although the state “performs relatively well across many indicators, particularly in education and insurance coverage, troubling trends in child and teen death rates and early learning enrollment reveal urgent areas for investment and reform.

New England states hold the top three spots for overall child well-being. New Hampshire ranks first, followed by Vermont and Massachusetts. Mississippi (48th), Louisiana (49th), and New Mexico (50th) are the three lowest-ranked states. A child’s chances of thriving depend not only on individual, family and community characteristics but also on the state in which they are born and raised.

The “Kids Count Data Book” reports that in 2023, only 3 percent of Illinois children lacked health insurance. However, nearly half of the state’s 3- and 4-year-olds were not enrolled in preschool, highlighting persistent challenges despite improvements in math proficiency and early education access.

New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts are highly ranked for overall child well-being, while Mississippi, Louisiana, and New Mexico rank lower, the foundation said. Factors such as the state of birth, upbringing, and public policies significantly influence a child’s development. Additionally, children raised in economically distressed areas tend to attend schools with limited resources, have fewer after-school and sports programs, and face more food insecurity, public safety and health challenges.

Illinois, the sixth most populous state, has a population that is 60 percent white, 18 percent Hispanic/Latino, and 14 percent African American, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Chicago metropolitan area houses 9.6 million people, with 2.7 million residing in the city. In Chicago, 60 percent of children and teens are Black or Latino, compared to 32 percent statewide.

“This data tells a clear story; while Illinois has made strides in certain areas like reducing the number of uninsured children and lowering teen births, we are falling short where it matters most like keeping our children safe and preparing them for lifelong learning,” said Loukisha Pennix, chief youth and potential services officer at YWCA Metropolitan Chicago which participated in the study.

“A 30 percent rise in child and teen deaths is a red flag that demands immediate, coordinated community and policy action,” Pennix added in a statement. “We know what kids need to grow up healthy and connected so they can thrive as adults: Stable homes, strong schools, nutritious food, meaningful relationships and opportunities to learn, play and grow.”

“This moment calls for focus, creativity and commitment. It calls on leaders at every level to act boldly where improvement is needed and rely on what we know work, said Casey Foundation President Lisa M. Lawson, “By staying grounded in data and driven by what children and families say they need, we can help ensure that all young people have the chance to thrive and contribute meaningfully as adults, helping to grow our future workforce, reduce long-term social and economic costs, and build a stronger society for everyone.”

Additional Crusader research further illustrates the disparities and harms impacting Illinois children.

Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr. often said, “poor children come from poor parents,” and often urged citizens to join the international campaign for an erasure of poverty. Young people who grow up in homes with unemployed parents or those barely scraping by face unique challenges in school and their overall quality of life. Recent Census and local administrative data reveal that child poverty in Illinois has declined but remains disproportionately concentrated in Chicago. Statewide, 14.7 percent of children under 18 lived below the federal poverty line in 2023, with the youngest (ages 0–4) faring slightly worse at 15.0 percent.

According to the Casey Foundation’s data book, nationally “the child poverty rate improved slightly between 2019 and 2023 but remained at 16 percent for the second year in a row — representing 11.4 million kids in 2023.18 Children in the United States are more likely to live in poverty than the general population. In the last two decades, the child poverty rate peaked at 23 percent,” the report said.

Cook County recorded higher poverty levels, where 17.2 percent of children and 13.2 percent of the total population live in poverty. Chicago’s child poverty rate is even more concerning, with 23 percent of children under 5 growing up in poor households—highlighting the city’s persistent economic challenges despite broader statewide improvements.

A 2024 research study from the New School’s Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy found that the median net worth for Black Chicago-area households was zero dollars, compared to the median net worth of $210,000 for White households in the city.

The Casey report noted Illinois was cited among the worst and ranked 28th out of all states in providing health, safe and stable communities for its children. Using indicators such as the number of single-parent families; household heads lacking high school diplomas; high-poverty areas; teen births, New Mexico had the lowest score.

“Efforts to strengthen children’s lives benefit from including their families and communities, such as ensuring that parents and kids have safe neighborhoods with access to quality health care, education, healthy food, job opportunities and other services. These types of supportive environments enrich children’s lives, relationships and chances for success,” the Kid’s Data Book read.

Perhaps even more troubling is the Foundation’s findings is that Illinois’ child and teen death rate increased by 30 percent between 2019 and 2023.

In Illinois, unintentional injuries such as car accidents, drowning, and fires are responsible for about one in four child deaths, according to state data. Youth suicides have stayed high since the pandemic, with 46 reported in 2022 compared to 55 in 2021 and 34 in 2019, with suffocation and firearms being the main causes. Violence is another major reason, with 128 children killed in 2022, most of them by firearms, though this number has dropped slightly compared to 129 deaths in 2021 during the COVID spike.

Youth suicides in Illinois have remained consistent since the pandemic, with 46 reported in 2022, compared to 55 in 2021 and 34 in 2019. In 2022, suicide was documented as the third leading cause of death among African American children and individuals aged 10 to 24, according to CDC Suicide Data and Statistics. The death rate for Black males was more than four times higher than for females in 2021. Despite what had been a nationwide decline, Black youth aged 10 to 24 experienced a 36.6 percent increase in suicide between 2018 and 2021.

Nationally, the homicide rate for older teens (15–19) jumped from 8.9 per 100,000 in 2019 to 12.8 in 2021 – the highest in nearly 25 years, according to the Justice Department statistics. Firearm violence became the leading cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents in this period, and Chicago’s youth were disproportionately impacted. Young Black and Latino males were, by far, the most affected; the Centers for Disease Control reported large increases in homicide rates for Black and Hispanic youth in 2020–21, with no significant rise among White youth.

In Chicago, roughly 80 percent to 85 percent of juvenile homicide victims in recent years have been African American, reflecting the concentration of gun violence in certain neighborhoods. This is a stark “disparity” in safety and well-being – growing up in parts of Chicago’s West or South Side carries a much higher risk of violent death than elsewhere in Illinois.

During the early pandemic, youth arrests initially plummeted in 2020 (due to stay-at-home orders and a conscious effort to avoid detention for health reasons). The Illinois Criminal Justice Authority (ICJA) notes juvenile arrests jumped 58 percent from 2021 to 2022, exceeding the 2018 pre-pandemic level. Cook County saw an 82 percent surge in youth arrests in 2022, driving the state increase, according to ICJA data.

This surge included more car thefts and gun-related incidents involving teens, according to ICJIA analysis. The pandemic’s disruptions (school closures, social service interruptions) and a proliferation of guns likely fueled this spike. Notably, violent crime among Chicago youth rose – tragically, Chicago experienced a wave of teens involved in shootings (as perpetrators and victims) in 2021–2022.

Post-pandemic Mayor Brandon Johnson recently celebrated a significant drop in all crime, with major declines among youth-related incidents. Through the first five months of 2025, homicides have decreased by 28 percent and shootings are down by 34 percent, compared to last year. Both totals are the lowest crime numbers since 2019, according to law enforcement data.

In addition to new policing strategies implemented by Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Johnson, the mayor and criminal justice advocates also credited community anti-violence initiatives and the Johnson administration’s expanded investments in education, recreation, mental health and job opportunities for juveniles across all city demographics.

Public funding for Chicago violence-interrupter work roughly doubled in 2024, topping $250 million when city and state streams are combined. Independent studies link those investments to substantial, neighborhood-level drops (30 percent to 40 percent) in youth and young-adult shootings. Overall, violent crime has dropped 23 percent compared to last year’s figures in the same time period.

“Violence is down in part because of violence-intervention work …. Our investments are clearly having some strong returns as violence continues to go down in the city of Chicago,” Johnson said at the end of a significantly less violent Memorial Day weekend.