Weakley County Ranks 6th Among Tennessee Counties for Child Well-Being

Tennessee County Profiles provide a window into the overall child well-being across the state

County Profiles of Child Well-Being in Tennessee provide in depth county-level data and rankings on child outcomes related to economic well-being, education, health and family and community.

The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth has released its County Profiles of

Child Well-Being in Tennessee for 2024. The profiles include county-level measures on 52 indicators and county ranks in crucial areas affecting child development: economic well-being, education, health and family and community. Each profile provides an analysis of the county’s strengths and challenges and policy recommendations to improve outcomes.

Data is primarily from 2022.

Key indicators include:

• Statewide 17.8 percent of children were living in poverty in 2022, slightly down from 18.8

percent of children living in poverty in 2021. In 2022 the lowest percentage was in Williamson

County (3.6 percent) and the highest percentage was in Lake County (42.9 percent)

• Childcare cost burden is defined as the average market rate price for full time care of an infant

and a 2-year-old through school age child, as a percentage of the county’s estimated median

household income. Statewide the childcare cost burden increased significantly to 40.9 percent in 2022-23, up from 27.9 percent in 2021-22. The county with the highest childcare cost burden in 2022-23 is Hardin County at 105.7 percent and the lowest are Fayette and Williamson with 19.6 percent each.

• Tennessee’s rate of children who were victims of abuse or neglect was 9.8 per 1,000 in 2022.

Cocke County had the highest rate at 31.0 and Williamson had the lowest rate at 1.7 per 1,000.

• Statewide chronic absenteeism sits at 19.6 percent in 2022-23, slightly down from 20.3 percent in 2021-22. In 2022-23 the highest rate of chronic absenteeism was in Sequatchie County (34.2 percent) and the lowest was in Williamson County (8.5 percent)

• Tennessee’s youth crime rate increased in 2022 to 58.4 per 1,000, up from 57.8 per 1,000 in

2021. In 2022 Maury County had the highest rate at 99.37 and Perry and Picket Counties had the lowest rate at 0.0 per 1,000.

Comparing data across counties provides a glimpse into the varying needs of each county and the different experiences, access to resources and supports a child may have in one county compared to another.

“The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY) is an independent, nonpartisan agency created by the Tennessee General Assembly to ensure the state’s policies and programs effectively promote and protect the health, well-being and development of children and youth,” says TCCY Executive Director Richard Kenney. “We support every county as they work to improve outcomes for children, youth, and families. These county profiles serve as a vital tool at the state-level, but they are primarily for county level officials, non-profits, and communities to evaluate where they can celebrate success, opportunities for growth and how to direct their focus and funding for the next year.”

Overall, the counties that ranked in the top 10 are Williamson, Wilson, Moore, Trousdale, Sumner, Weakley, Carroll, Rutherford, Blount, and Lawrence. The counties with the greatest opportunity for improvement are Lake, Shelby, Davidson, Hardin, Madison, Houston, Haywood, Hardeman, Campbell, and Sevier.

When it comes to the economic well-being of its residents and the overall state of its children, Weakley County ranks 6th out of 95 counties in the state, according to the KIDS Count report released last week by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. The organization ranked each county in Tennessee based on data relative to four factors - economic well-being, family and community, health and education.

In the economic well-being category, Weakley County ranked 32nd overall in the state. Factors used to determine the ranking in that category include the percentage of children living in poverty as well as cost burdens of families residing in Weakley.

With 7.9 percent of families considered severely housing-cost burdened, Weakley County’s rank of 22 led to its high rank in overall economic well-being. The county saw deterioration from last year’s 11th ranking in severe housing-cost burden. In 2023, the TCCY recorded Weakley’s percentage of its families burdened by housing costs at 7.7%.

Weakley County showed improvement with the number of families that are reportedly burdened by child-care costs. In 2023, the TCCY ranked the county 66th as a result of 27.4 percent of families burdened by the cost of childcare. This year, the county improved to 16th in the state, and it saw a lower percentage burdened by child-care costs at 23.6%.

Childcare cost burden is defined as the average market rate price for full time care of an infant

and a two-year-old through school age child, as a percentage of the county’s estimated median

household income.

In 2021, Weakley County’s percentage of children reportedly living in poverty was recorded at 21.4% percent, which ranked it 46th among other Tennessee counties. This year’s report, which reflects data from 2022, that percentage was up at 22.9, ranking the county at 61st.

The percentage of children living in poverty across the state was recorded at 17.8, down slightly from last year’s report of 18.8 percent. Williamson County shows the lowest number of children living in poverty at 3.6 percent. Lake County is recording the highest number of children living in poverty at 42.9 percent.

Total population measured in 2023 for Weakley County was 33,084, with 6,214 of those under 18 years old. Children make up roughly 18.8% percent of Weakley’s overall population. Tennessee recorded a population of 7,126,489 in 2023.

The KIDS Count report utilizes data from a handful of categories to determine a county’s overall economic well-being ranking, including household income and the number of children who receive WIC and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance) benefits.

Weakley County’s median household income reported from 2022 was $49,815. Tennessee’s median household income was listed at $65,231. Weakley ranked 73rd overall among other counties for its median household income.

In 2022, Weakley County’s median home sales price was reported at $158,892, while the state’s average was recorded at $325,000.

There were 1,583 (25.5 percent) of children in Weakley County who received SNAP benefits during fiscal year 2022-23. Across the state, that percentage was recorded at 22.4 percent.

Weakley County’s fair-market rent was listed at $909 during fiscal year 2022-23.

The percentage of children under five years old in Weakley County receiving WIC benefits in fiscal year 2022-23 was recorded at 32.8%, with 526 children using the benefit.

According to the KIDS Count report for Weakley County, it ranked in the top ten of counties in Tennessee for overall child well-being.

The county’s strongest area was Education where the county ranked 6^th place overall.

Weakley’s strongest indicator is the 3^rd to 8^th grade reading proficiency where the county ranked 6^th, moving up from 9^th and 3^rd to 8^th grade math proficiency where the county ranked 10^th moving up from 12^th.

The county’s biggest challenge is the percent of children living below the federal poverty line, where it ranks 61st.

There are opportunities for improvement in the percent of students in kindergarten needing full immunization series where the county ranked at 42^nd.

See future editions of this newspaper for a breakdown of data relative to how the county ranked in Family and Community, Education and Health.

For more information about the TCCY, visit its website, https://www.tn.gov/tccy.

Sabrina Bates, sabrina@richardsonmediagroup.net