Ohio Lags Behind in Child Welfare, Ranks 31st in National Report
Ohio’s children are facing significant challenges, according to the newly released 2025 Children Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The report ranks Ohio 31st overall in child well-being, highlighting persistent gaps in health, economic stability, and family support systems.
In response, the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio (CDF-Ohio) is urging state lawmakers to take immediate and meaningful action to prioritize the needs of children and families.
The report evaluates states using 16 indicators across four key domains: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors.
While Ohio ranks relatively high in education at 15th, its performance in other areas is far less encouraging—27th in economic well-being, 33rd in health, and 35th in family and community factors.
According to CDF-Ohio State Director Dr. John Stanford, these rankings underscore the urgent need for stronger policies that center children’s needs. “With Ohio now ranked 15th in education, this is exactly the wrong time to walk away from the Fair School Funding Formula,” Stanford said. “Sticking with it is key to moving the state forward, not backward.”
The data reveal several troubling trends. Ohio’s child poverty rate remains stuck at 18%, the same level as in 2019, placing the state 35th in the nation.
Deaths among children and teens ages 1–19 have increased by 11% since 2019, with a rate of 30 per 100,000. Even more concerning, 35% of children ages 10–17 are overweight or obese, ranking Ohio 43rd nationally in this category.
CDF-Ohio emphasizes that these are not inevitable outcomes, but the result of policy choices. The organization is calling on legislators to expand Medicaid, adopt a refundable state child tax credit, fully fund the Fair School Funding Formula, and invest more heavily in mental health services for children.
“The data make it clear: Ohio’s children are not getting the support they need to thrive, and that is a policy choice,” said Dr. Guillermo Bervejillo, Research Manager at CDF-Ohio.
“We urge lawmakers to make children a priority in every budget, every committee, and every chamber. Investing in our youngest residents is not only the right thing to do; it’s how we build a stronger, more prosperous Ohio for everyone.”
According to CDF-Ohio, ensuring children grow up healthy and supported requires more than reactive measures; it demands strategic investments in affordable childcare, stable housing, nutritious food, and opportunities to learn and grow.
These investments, the group argues, pay long-term dividends in the form of a more educated, economically secure, and thriving population.
