There are less children today in some 35 states than there were in 2018, according to the Washington-based Stateline.
Among the remaining 15 states, fourteen saw a greater percentage of growth in their adult populations.
Based on an analysis of recent U.S. Census Bureau numbers, the report notes that with the ongoing decline in the number of children making up the populations of those 35 states, “school officials are facing the possibility of teacher layoffs or even school closures when pandemic aid expires next year.”
The decline in children populations, if reflective of a larger drop in the general population, may cause “additional fiscal, economic, and political ramifications, such as diminished representation in Congress.”
The percentage of children nationally, according to those Census figures, is at an all-time low. Whereas, as recently as the year 2000, those below the age of 18 made up just under 26% of the nation’s population, as of the most recent Census, that number is down to 22.1%.
According to a separate report, called the Changing Child Population of the United States, and published by the Anne E. Casey Foundation, the percentage of children making up the general population has been on a steady decline since 1960, which could arguably be described as the heyday of the Baby Boom generation when that demographic represented 35.7% of the population.
The report from the Casey Foundation, a non-profit based in Baltimore, also indicates that the mega states Florida and Texas saw an increase of at least 100,000 children in the last decade, while California, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and New York, lost at least that many.
The Stateline report, put together by demographics reporter Tim Henderson, notes that “high housing prices” are likely a significant factor in the children population decline. Looking at recent trends in California, Henderson notes that even though wages are up, housing costs are up just as much, leading to an exit of many young families.
That exit, in fact, contributed to the first overall decline in the Golden State’s population in the most recent Census survey.
By Garry Boulard
