Hawaii’s children are increasingly affected by housing instability and parental job insecurity, ranking the state among the worst in the nation for economic well-being, according to the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book released Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The annual report, now in its 36th year, evaluates child well-being across four categories — economic well-being, education, health, and family and community — using 16 key indicators.
Hawaii ranked 24th overall in the nation, a slight improvement from 29th in 2024, but trends in housing and employment signal urgent challenges ahead.
More than one in three children in Hawaii lived in households burdened by high housing costs in 2023 — the fifth-worst rate in the country. Though the state saw a slight improvement in housing cost burden from 38% in 2019 to 35% in 2023, the issue remains more severe than the national average of 30%.
At the same time, the share of children whose parents lacked secure employment jumped from 24% to 28% over the same period, diverging from the national trend, which saw a modest improvement. Hawaii’s rank in this category dropped from 16th to 36th in the nation.
“It took the lowest-income families a decade to recover from the Great Recession, and now we are once again facing the threat of a greater share of our keiki growing up in economic hardship, which can have harmful lifelong effects on their well-being,” said Ivette Rodriguez Stern, junior specialist at the University of Hawaii Center on the Family. “Without bold action from our leaders, it will be difficult for our children and their families to climb out of the upcoming economic hole they’re likely to experience.”
The warning comes as the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization predicts a potential recession, and as proposed federal budget cuts threaten to push thousands of local families out of vital food and health care programs.
Deborah Zysman, executive director of Hawaii Children’s Action Network, said the report’s findings must serve as a call to action.
“Year after year, the KIDS COUNT Data Book reminds us that more can and must be done to support the economic well-being of Hawaii’s children and their families. With the looming threat of a recession and harsh cuts to crucial programs, our state’s leaders must act now to prevent our children’s well-being from deteriorating further.”
Education indicators were another weak spot for Hawaii, with the state ranking 29th in this domain.
The share of fourth-graders not proficient in reading rose to 68%, slightly better than the national average of 70% but still trending in the wrong direction. Eighth grade math proficiency worsened from 72% not proficient in 2019 to 77% in 2024 — worse than the national rate of 73%.
Preschool access remained stagnant, with 54% of 3- and 4-year-olds not enrolled, matching the national average. However, on-time high school graduation improved slightly, with 86% of students graduating on time in 2022 compared with 85% in 2019.
Where Hawaii shines is in the health of its children. The state ranked 10th in the nation, with only 3% of children lacking health insurance — the third lowest rate nationally — and one of the lowest child and teen death rates in the country, improving from 24 per 100,000 in 2019 to 18 in 2023.
Despite those strengths, the share of low birth-weight babies increased slightly from 8.4% to 8.7%, and childhood obesity worsened, with 29% of children ages 10 to 17 considered overweight or obese — just below the national rate of 31%.
The state also ranked 14th in the family and community domain. The state’s teen birth rate dropped significantly from 16 to 11 per 1,000, and the percentage of children living in high-poverty areas improved from 5% to 4%. The rate of children in single-parent households held steady at 34%, matching the national figure.
Overall, experts say the report offers a critical snapshot of the challenges and opportunities facing Hawaii’s youngest residents.
The full 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book is available at aecf.org/databook and data for Hawaii can be found at datacenter.aecf.org/HI.
