Albuquerque, N.M. • As the number of children living in poverty and without health insurance increased in New Mexico, the state fell to last place nationwide in child well-being, a new report released Wednesday showed.
The state’s standing in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual Kids Count report marked a five-year low for New Mexico, which has struggled for years in the rankings and historically has had one of the nation’s highest poverty rates. The state slipped from 49th to 50th in the recent analysis for the first time since 2013, when the effect of long-term unemployment on children was a lingering concern in the country following the recession.