This article contains highlights of America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 1999, the third annual report to the nation on the condition of our children. The report, prepared by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, includes 6 contextual measures that describe the changing population and family context in which children are living and 23 indicators of well-being in the areas of economic security, health, behavior and social environment, and education. This year, a special feature is included on children who have difficulty performing everyday activities. A full copy of the report is available on the Internet at http://childstats.gov/ac1999/toc.asp.

Part I: Population and Family Characteristics

America's children continue to grow in racial and ethnic diversity. In 1998, 65% were white, non-Hispanic; 15% were black, non-Hispanic; 15% were Hispanic; 4% were Asian/Pacific Islander; and 1% were American Indian/Alaska native. Hispanic children slightly outnumber black, non-Hispanic children.
The percentage of children living with two parents declined from 77% in 1980 to 68% in 1996 and has remained stable since then. There are large differences across racial and ethnic groups, however; in 1998, 76% of white, non-Hispanic children lived with two parents, compared to 36% of black children and 64% of Hispanic children.
The percentage of births that are to unmarried women has stabilized since 1994 at about 32%, after rising sharply from 18% in 1980.

Part II: Indicators of Children's Well-Being

Economic Security Indicators

The poverty rate of children was at 19% in 1997, about the same as it has been since 1980. The proportion of children living in families with high income increased from 17% in 1980 to 25% in 1997, while the proportion of children living in extreme poverty grew slightly from 7% to 8% over the same period. These shifts reflect a growing income disparity among children.
The percentage of children living with their parents who had at least one parent working full time all year increased 5 percentage points to 76% from 1993 to 1997. A large share of this increase was due to the increase in the percentage of children living with employed single mothers, which increased from 33% in 1993 to 41% in 1997.
Most American children and adolescents had a diet that was poor or needed improvement in 1996. As children get older, the quality of their diet declines: 24% of 2- to 5-year-olds had a good diet, compared with only 6% of teenagers ages 13 to 18.
Teenagers are also less likely than younger children to have a usual source of medical care. In 1996, 8% of all adolescents ages 12 to 17 lacked a usual source of care. Over 27% of uninsured adolescents in this age group lacked a usual source of care.
Health Indicators

The percentage of infants born with low birth weight (weighing less than about 5½ lbs.) continues to rise. In 1997, this percentage was the highest in over 20 years, at 7.5%. The increase in low birth weight is partly due to the rising number of twin and other multiple births.
The percentage of children in families living in poverty who have received the combined series of vaccines has increased between 1996 and 1997, from 69% to 71%.

While the mortality rate for almost all groups of children continues to fall, it has fallen most dramatically among black children ages 1 to 4, from 67.6 per 100,000 in 1996 to 59.2 in 1997, according to preliminary data. This rate, however, remains almost twice the rate for whites, at 31.5 per 100,000 according to 1997 preliminary data.

Death rates among adolescents, particularly among black males, have dropped dramatically after rising rapidly during the early 1990s. In 1996, the adolescent firearm mortality rate was at the lowest point since 1989, for both blacks and whites. The rate among black males dropped from 120.3 per 100,000 in 1995 to 108.7 in 1996, and the rate among white males dropped from 27.9 per 100,000 in 1995 to 23.1 in 1996.

The birth rate for teenagers ages 15 to 17 dropped from 1991 to 1997, after rising during the late 1980s. In 1997, the rate was 32.1 live births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 17, down from 38.7 in 1991.

Behavior and Social Environment Indicators

The percentage of 10th- and 12th-grade students who reported smoking daily dropped in 1998 after generally increasing since 1992. Among 10th-graders, the percentage dropped from 18% in 1997 to 16% in 1998, and among 12th-graders, it dropped from its recent high of 25% in 1997 to 22% in 1998. This rate is still high compared to previous years, however.

Youth ages 12 to 17 were victims of serious violent crime at the rate of 27 crimes per 1,000 in 1997, down from 44 per 1,000 in 1993. Juveniles were identified as perpetrators of serious violent crimes at the rate of 31 crimes per 1,000 in 1997, down from 52 per 1,000 in 1993.

Education Indicators

A higher percentage of children were enrolled in preschool in 1997 than in 1996-48% compared to 45%. Preschool enrollment particularly increased among black, non-Hispanic children, from 45% to 55%, and among children living in poverty from 34% to 40%.
In 1998, about 8% of the nation's 16- to 19-year-olds were neither enrolled in school nor working, a significant decrease from 9% in 1997.
Special Feature

About 12% of children ages 5 to 17 have difficulty performing one or more everyday activities, including learning, communication, mobility, and self-care. Difficulty with learning is the most common of these four types of limitations. Children in families with lower socioeconomic status are at greater risk than other children of having difficulty performing everyday activities.