Tennessee’s Commission on Children and Youth published its “State of the Child in Tennessee” report for 2023.

The findings are sobering. Here are some lowlights:

• Over 17% of children in Tennessee live below the poverty line.
• Tennessee schools have one social worker for every 1,909 children. The recommended ratio is 1:250.
• The largest cause of death for Tennessee children is firearms, which cause 25% of deaths of Tennessee children.
• More than 25% of Tennessee children have health insurance that is not adequate for their needs.
• Tennessee’s infant mortality rate is 6.6 per 1,000 compared to a national rate of 5.6.
• 53% of high school girls and 30% of high school boys reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for more than two weeks. This is a 63% increase since 2011.

You can find the full report here.

Source: State of the Child in Tennessee 2023 (Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, January 2024).

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