Report: Child poverty rate soars to 15% in Nevada

Child poverty in Nevada hit 15% last year, two points higher than the national average, according to a new analysis by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Researchers found the national child poverty rate almost tripled from 5% to 13% between 2021 and 2024, largely because Congress allowed pandemic-era policies providing extra support to low-income families to expire.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the foundation, said a high concentration of poverty is a risk to a child’s safety, health and success in school.

“Those neighborhoods often have higher crime rates,” Boissiere pointed out. “Schools tend to have lower resources and consequently the academic achievement of the children tends to be lower. You also see significant stress on families, and that stress has a direct impact on the well-being of children.”

The numbers are much worse for children of color. In the U.S., child poverty stands at 7% for white children, 21% for Latino kids, and 23% for Black children. Last July, the Republican budget bill did increase the maximum Child Tax Credit by $200 per year but it also made huge cuts to programs helping low-income families, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid.

Boissiere stressed wages and poverty-alleviating policies simply are not keeping up with costs, so policymakers need to look for solutions.

“It’s a partnership that involves both the business community and the support of wages to allow families to support their children,” Boissiere explained. “Also policies that provide supports for families who are living in lower-wage situations.”

The report found without current social support programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, SNAP and housing assistance, child poverty in Nevada would jump to 25%. The programs keep 68,000 Silver State kids out of poverty each year.

Related: Nevada to be hit hard by SNAP cuts