The Foundation for Child Development Child and Youth Well-Being Index Project at Duke University issues an annual comprehensive measure of how children are faring in the United States. The Child Well-Being Index (CWI) is based on a composite of 28 "Key Indicators" of wellbeing that are grouped into seven "Quality-of-Life/Well-Being…

The National Capital Region (NCR) is home to more than one-and-a-half million children and youth (ages birth through 24 years). Although the NCR is known as a place with a highly transient population, if history is any guide, many of these young people will remain in this region and fundamentally shape the quality of life--not only for themselves,…

Using findings of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), this report discusses how people become poor and why they stay that way. The PSID reveals that the requirements for getting out of poverty in the United States are so minimal that it takes a mutually reinforcing cluster of behaviors to remain in poverty, even for blacks and females. The…

A study gathered data that described recent changes in the economic well-being of U.S. workers and their families. Data, including family incomes, wages, fringe benefits, and employment, showed that, in 1987, after 5 years of recovery, the average worker was worse off economically than at the peak of the last business cycle. The typical family's…

In "Raising Children in a Socially Toxic Environment," James Garbarino's nostalgic recollection of family, school, and neighborhood life in the 1950s becomes the utopian antecedent for a comparative bashing of contemporary times. Although racial stratification and social/economic marginality compromise 1990s families' child-raising…

This document examines population trends and economic and social indicators in rural Idaho. The first few sections discuss the definition of "rural," rural challenges and strengths, and outside economic and political forces impacting Idaho's rural areas. Subsequent sections present data on population trends, migration patterns, race and…

Examines poverty levels of young and elderly women who live alone. Of all elderly women, 30 percent are in poverty compared with 21 percent of single young women. Variables include participation in labor force, education, age, benefits, and ethnicity. Women in rural areas more likely to be in poverty. (Author/TES)

This report provides a statistical portrait of child and family well-being in the city of Chicago. It presents up-to-date information from government sources and includes trend data where available. The report notes several patterns emerging from these data. Although the child population is shrinking, the proportion of children facing risk of…

This reports analyzes 1990 census data on populations, race, rurality, poverty, education, unemployment, and economic dependence for the Northeast, Midwest, West, and South. Special emphasis is placed on the South, its subregion the Black Belt, and Appalachia. The Black Belt region encompasses 623 counties in 11 southern states; these counties are…

This paper examines social and economic forces affecting rural areas at the beginning of the 21st century and lists potential strategies to cope with those concerns. Rural development is necessary to place rural and urban areas on a more equal footing, compensate for the youth "brain drain," preserve the retirement-option value, relieve…

This report examines the financial needs of Arkansas families, and establishes, using conservative economic assumptions, an annual Family Income Standard (FIS) for the state and each of its counties. The FIS is a new tool to be used by citizens, state and local policy makers, civic organizations, non-profits, and parents as they look to improve…

This report is based on the 1982 Current Population Survey data from the Bureau of Census and examines the declining status of female-headed households in the United States. The study concentrates on White, Black, and Hispanic women and their children. Factors associated with poverty are examined, including marital status, employment, and training…

Women of all ages continue to enter the work force in greater numbers while the work force participation rate for males is declining. Women are disproportionately concentrated in low-paying, dead-end jobs. Employment discrimination continues to be a significant problem. Job interruptions necessitated by family responsibilities are a major factor…

A quarter of children under age 6 are poor. Poverty has a multiple and cumulative effect on children, regardless of race, family structure, or parental education level. As part of the Children's Defense Fund's Costs of Child Poverty Research Project, this report shows the effects of poverty on children. The Children's Defense Fund's stated mission…

The U.S. population includes over 23 million women aged 45 to 64 and 17 million women aged 65 and over. Their life experiences are very different from those of men. The median total income of women trails that of men at all ages. Women at all ages are twice as likely as men to be poor. Poverty among the elderly is closely associated with sole…