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 less children living in poverty in 2019-23 than in 2009-13, similar to state and national trends. In 2019-23, about 15% of children in the region were living in poverty, down 1 point since 2014-18 and lower than the national rate (16%).  Putnam County had the lowest rate of child poverty in the region (5%), while Sullivan County had the highest percentage of children living in poverty (22%). Poverty was highest among African American (19%) and Hispanic (16%) children in the Mid-Hudson Valley region in 2019-23. White children (14%) were less likely to be living in poverty, though this represents a slight increase since 2009-13.

There are more single–parent families in the region, though still below the state and nation. The proportion of single–parent families in the region increased 1 percentage points from 2009-13. In 2019–23, slightly less than one–third (29%) of families in the region were headed by single parents, below the rates for the state (31%) and nation (34%). Columbia (40%), Sullivan (38%), and Ulster (37%) counties had the highest proportion of single–parent families, while Putnam had the lowest (21%). Over half (57%) of African American families in the region were headed by single parents, the highest of any racial or ethnic group. This was below the rates for African American families throughout the state  (65%) and nation (67%).  In the region, 41% of Hispanic families and 32% of white families were headed by single parents.

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 higher than the state’s. The rate of children admitted to foster care declined to 1.5 children per 1,000 in 2023 from 2.6 in 2010. The rate is same as the statewide rate of 1.5 children per 1,000.  In 2023, admissions were greatest in Sullivan County, with 3.8 children per 1,000 admitted to foster care, followed by Columbia and Greene (2.7 and 2.4, respectively).

The region has seen a dramatic decline in the teen pregnancy rate, which is similar to state-wide trends. In 2022, the rate of teen pregnancies in the Mid-Hudson Valley region was 0.9%, just below the statewide rate of 1.0%, representing an overall decline of 50% in the rate of teen pregnancies over the previous decade (since 2012).  Teen pregnancy rates in the region were highest in Sullivan (1.3%), and Orange counties (1%) and lowest in Putnam (0.5%).