Michigan child poverty rate decreased to 21 percent

LANSING (AP) - Michigan's child poverty rate decreased to about 21 percent in 2016, but disparities among racial groups remain.

The annual Kids Count Profile released last week by the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation reports 444,100 of Michigan's children lived in poverty that year.

The study also finds the poverty rate of black children decreased from 47 percent in 2015 to 42 percent the following year, but remains the highest among racial groups. The 2016 rates for other groups were: 30 percent for Latino children, 26 percent for mixed-race children and 15 percent for white and for Asian children.

The report says 65 percent of Michigan's students weren't college-ready.

Michigan's bottom-ranked counties for child well-being are Lake, Clare, Muskegon, Calhoun and Oceana. The top five are Livingston, Ottawa, Clinton, Oakland and Washtenaw.

Published: Mon, Apr 23, 2018