The challenges facing our community’s children can diminish their chances for successful adult lives. In this section, we review several indicators that describe family supports and risk exposure of our youngest residents.

In all cases, comparisons to New York State statistics reflect the entire state excluding New York City.

There are slightly smaller shares of children living in poverty in 2020-24 than in 2010-14, similar to state and national trends. In 2020-24, 14% of children in the region lived in poverty, down 1 percentage point from the rate in 2010-14. The 2020-24 rate was the same as the state rate of 14% and below the national rate of 16%. Putnam County had the lowest rate of child poverty in the region (6%), while Sullivan County had the highest percentage of children living in poverty (24%). Poverty was highest among African American (17%) and Hispanic (15%) children in the Mid-Hudson Valley region in 2020-2024. Since 2010-14, poverty rates declined by 11 points for African American children and 5 points for Hispanic children. White children (14%) were less likely to be living in poverty in 2020-24, though this represents a 1 point increase since 2010-14.

There are increased rates of single–parent families in the region, though still below the state and nation. The share of families led by single–parents in the region increased 2 percentage points from 2010-14, similar to state and national trends. In 2020-2024, 30% of families in the region were headed by single parents, below the rates for the state (32%) and nation (34%). Sullivan (41%), Ulster (38%), and Columbia (37%) counties had the highest proportion of single–parent families, while Putnam had the lowest (21%). 60% of African American families in the region were single-parent families, the highest rate of any racial or ethnic group. This was a 3 point increase from 2010-14. In the region, single parents headed 44% of Hispanic families and 31% of White families.

Rates of child abuse and neglect have fluctuated but not changed substantially since 2010. In 2023, there were 11 abused children for every 1,000 children in the region, down 36% from 2010 and below the statewide rate of 14. Rates were lowest in Orange and Putnam (each 9 per 1,000) counties and highest in Greene  and Sullivan counties (each 20 per 1,000 children under 18).

Foster care admissions are decreasing, and the regional rate is similar to the state’s. The rate of children admitted to foster care declined to to 1.4 children per 1,000 in 2024, from 2.6 in 2010. The rate is the similar to the statewide rate of 1.5 children per 1,000. In 2024, among counties, Putnam had the lowest rate of foster care admissions (0.2 per 1,000), while Sullivan had the highest (3.8 per 1,000).

The region has seen a dramatic decline in the teen pregnancy rate, which is similar to state-wide trends. In 2023, the rate of teen pregnancies in the Mid-Hudson Valley region was 1%, the same as the statewide rate. The regional rate declined 1 point from 2% in 2010, reflecting similar declines in all counties in the region, and mirroring the statewide decline over the same period. Teen pregnancy rates in 2023 were highest in Sullivan (1.7%) and Orange (1.1%) counties and lowest in Putnam (0.4%).