The Annie E. Casey Foundation released its national 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book on Monday, a 50-state report of recent household data analyzing how children and families are faring post-pandemic.
While the U.S. Virgin Islands is not part of the rankings in the national Data Book, as it draws data from the American Community Survey, which is not conducted in the territory, the USVI is included in the KIDS COUNT Data Center, which houses key data points on child well-being across the nation, according to the St. Croix Foundation for Community Development, which issued a press release on the national report.
To supplement available national data, each year the St. Croix Foundation’s KIDS COUNT USVI team publishes a Data Book focused specifically on the U.S. Virgin Islands that reports available data aligned with the four domains of the national Data Book: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors. To date, it has published four Data Books/Spotlights and, in 2025, released the territory’s first online, interactive KIDS COUNT USVI Data Dashboard.
“The foundation’s KIDS COUNT Team releases the data book in a public presentation each December, and we meet annually with all government data partners to discuss the data in the book,” Lilli Cox, vice president of communications for the St. Croix Foundation, told the Source. “We also work closely with Government House, particularly in 2024, when we held our KIDS COUNT USVI Summit in collaboration with their policy team. For data in the 2023 Data Book, this was indeed ‘A Call to Action.’ The Foundation has conducted private meetings, held public testimonies, and continued to publish the data widely across our community,” she said.
“We are noticing a growing consensus among all of our public, private, and civic sector partners in using the data to drive tangible results, which is encouraging,” Cox added.
The annual Data Book presents national and state data from 16 indicators in the four domains and ranks the states according to how children are faring overall.
This year, national Data Book trends presented a complex picture: steady progress in some areas, setbacks in others and persistent opportunities to do better for children and their families. Since 2019, seven of the 16 key indicators have improved, six have worsened and three have not changed, according to Monday’s press release from the St. Croix Foundation.
The national Data Book also highlighted the impact of geography, with data showing that where a child lives matters for their health and quality of life: “Geographic disparities around the country have persisted for years, shaped by differences in state and local policies, economic conditions, infrastructure, resources, neighborhood characteristics and community investment.”
Geographic disparity is a reality faced in the U.S. Virgin Islands as well, albeit on a smaller scale, the St. Croix Foundation noted.
According to the 2020 Census, 33% of children in the USVI were living in poverty. The poverty rate is even higher for children under age five, with 37% affected. But poverty levels are not evenly distributed throughout the islands, the foundation said.
One method to illustrate the distribution of children in poverty in the USVI is through a map of the islands, highlighting estates where child poverty is most prevalent. These custom maps are available in the 2023 KIDS COUNT USVI Data Book, available at this link.
On St. Croix, 36% of children across the island lived in families with household income below the poverty line, with the center-west areas (Estate Paradise and Profit) being most affected. Additional pockets of high child poverty are found on the north shore just west of Christiansted (Golden Rock). Areas with the lowest child poverty rates are concentrated in the southeast and eastern ends of the island. Estates and income levels are seen as follows:
On St. Thomas, 30% of children island-wide lived in poverty according to the 2020 Census. The highest child poverty rates were located in the center of the island (Kronprinsens Quarter and Hospital Ground), and another significant cluster in the southeast (Estate Bovoni). The lowest child poverty rates are concentrated in the west and southwest of the island.
Finally, 27% of children on St. John lived in poverty. The highest concentration of child poverty is found in Estate Mandahl and Estate Saunders Gut, while areas with the lowest child poverty rates are mostly located in the east and northeastern end of the island.
As a child, where you live in the USVI matters. It encompasses the average family income in your neighborhood, the performance of your local public school, the placement of public housing, and the investment of government and private sector resources, including transportation, services, and businesses, according to the St. Croix Foundation.
“By mapping and monitoring indicators like child poverty at the estate level, we equip policymakers, community organizations, and funders with the evidence needed to prioritize high-need areas and implement targeted interventions,” it noted. “At the same time, critical data gaps remain, particularly in areas such as early childhood development, youth mental health, and educational outcomes disaggregated by disability or language status. Addressing these gaps is essential for developing a fuller, more equitable understanding of child well-being across the territory.”
According to St. Croix Foundation President and CEO Deanna James, “Geographic disparities are often compounded by systemic inequities shaped by race, class, and gender. In the USVI, historic patterns of underinvestment, colonial governance, and vulnerability to climate-related disruptions contribute to these disparities and require context-specific, equity-driven responses.”
Now in its 36th year of publication, the National KIDS COUNT Data Book provides reliable statewide numbers to help leaders see where progress is being made, where greater support is needed and which strategies are making a difference.
“To truly become a country that equips every child to thrive as adults, our leaders need focus, creativity and commitment,” said Lisa Lawson, president and CEO of the Casey Foundation. “The Data Book’s findings call on leaders at every level to act boldly to build a strong future, relying on what we know works,” she said.
“By staying grounded in data and driven by what children and families say they need, we can help ensure that all young people have the chance to thrive and contribute meaningfully as adults, helping to grow our future workforce, reduce long-term social and economic costs and build a stronger society for everyone,” Lawson continued.
The 2025 national KIDS COUNT Data Book can be accessed at www.aecf.org/databook. Virgin Islands KIDS COUNT publications and the Data Dashboard can be found by visiting the St. Croix Foundation’s website at www.stxfoundation.org/kids-count-usvi/. For more information about KIDS COUNT USVI, contact the St. Croix Foundation at 340-773-9898 or kidscountusvi@stxfoundation.org.
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