43% of children in the State of NC live in poor or low-income homes.
Source: 2022 NC Data Card from NC Child

  • Wake County Child Population 254,115
  • Children living in poor or low income homes: 26.6% for 2020 and 28.5% for 2019
  • Delinquency rate per 1,000 youth ages 6-17: 9.7 in 2020
  • 3rd grade students scoring proficient in reading 59.7% 2020-2021
  • High School Students graduation on time: 90.5% 2021
  • Children without health insurance 4.6% for 2020
  • Child deaths per 100,000: 42.4 for 2020

Before the pandemic, 2 out of 5 NC children lived in poor or low-income households

In the Wake school system, 5,750 students were considered homeless during the 2019-20 school year
Source: The News and Observer

Homeless children:

  • Get sick four times as much as other children;

  • Experience three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems;

  • Have twice the levels of learning disabilities;

  • Are four times as likely to show delayed development;

Source: National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth

  • 9.1% of the population lives below the federal poverty threshold.  The percent of the population below the federal poverty line indicates the financial resources of its citizens, and the ability of citizens to meet basic needs, like food, housing, education, transportation, and medical expenses.

  • 14 percent of the county’s children live in poverty

Source: Wake County Data and Indy Week