Collage of young boy in classroom and family interaction

As the KIDS COUNT leader for South Carolina, a major initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), Children’s Trust uses this high-quality data and trend analysis to secure better futures for all children in our state.

Indicators reveal significant deficits for children and families in South Carolina, which sends a strong signal that dedicated strategies are needed to give them more opportunities to succeed.

Mother and Daughter Playing In Home Made Garden Den

Child well-being data in South Carolina

41

South Carolina’s ranks 41 in child well-being

20%

of children live in poverty

78%

of eighth graders are not proficient in math

Child well-being data and resources

2023 Kids Count state profile for South Carolina.
Child well-being in South Carolina

View the KIDS COUNT rankings and indicators for South Carolina. You can see areas where South Carolina has improved, declined or stayed the same within each indicator.

S.C. Child Well-Being Profile (PDF)
County data profiles fanned across dark wood table.
Child well-being data county profiles

KIDS COUNT indicators are available at the state level and county level. States and counties are ranked in each domain and overall.

Child well-being data county profiles
Race for results ethnicity profiles fanned across a wooded table.
Data by race

Resources to inform the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in child well-being outcomes.

Race for Results for South Carolina
2023 Kids Count Data Book.
KIDS COUNT Data Book

KIDS COUNT is best known for its annual data book that profiles the status of children on a national and state-by-state basis and ranks states on measures of well-being.

2023 KIDS COUNT Data Book (PDF)
Kids Count Data Center homepage on a laptop.
KIDS COUNT Data Center

The KIDS COUNT Data Center, is a searchable database featuring hundreds of data sets provided by Children's Trust and AECF KIDS COUNT.

KIDS COUNT Data Center
Data request form pictured on a mobile phone.
Data request

If the data you’re looking for is not available on our website, simply complete this request form and we will try and locate it as best we can for you.

Data request form

National resources inform our work in South Carolina

These reports, all produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, our national partner for KIDS COUNT, work to raise the visibility of children's issues through a nonpartisan, evidence-based lens.

Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children Living in High-Poverty, Low-Opportunity Neighborhoods
Children Living in High-Poverty, Low-Opportunity Neighborhoods

This snapshot singles out two important factors, geographic location and race and ethnicity, that shape a child’s risk of living in concentrated poverty. It also recommends moves that leaders can take to help families in these communities thrive.

Children Living in High-Poverty, Low-Opportunity Neighborhoods
Annie E Casey Foundation, 2024 Race for Results report cover. Kids holding hands in a line below a blue sky.
2024 Race for Results: Building a Pathway to Opportunity for All Children

The report examines the persistent disparities in opportunity and the barriers that exist for children of different racial backgrounds despite improvements in several comparable data indicators over the last decade.

2024 Race for Results (PDF)
Annie E. Casey, A Shared Sentence policy report cover
A Shared Sentence: The Devastating Toll of Parental Incarceration on Kids, Families and Communities

Addresses the increased poverty and stress experienced by children of incarcerated parents.

A Shared Sentence policy report
Annie E. Casey, Every Kid Needs a Family policy report cover
Every Kid Needs a Family: Giving Children in the Child Welfare System the Best Chance for Success

Highlights the need, through sound policies and proven practices, to find loving, nurturing and supportive families for children in foster care.

Every Kid Needs a Family policy report
Annie E. Casey, Measuring Access policy brief cover
Measuring Access to Opportunity in the U.S.

Illustrates how outdated methods of measuring poverty in the United States are giving an inaccurate picture of how families are really faring and what public programs are working through a discussion of the Supplemental Poverty Measure.

Measuring Access to Opportunity in the U.S. data snapshot
Annie E. Casey, The First 8 Years policy report cover
The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for Lifetime Success

The publication sounds the alarm that the nation is failing to invest enough in the early years of children.

The First Eight Years policy report
Annie E. Casey, Stepping Up Kids policy report cover
Stepping Up for Kids: What Government and Communities Should Do to Support Kinship Families

This report explores the increased number of children living with extended family and close friends. It offers recommendations on how to support kinship families.

Stepping Up For Kids policy report
AECF-Opening-Doors-For-Young-Parents-Policy-Report
Opening Doors for Young Parents

This report reminds policymakers and child advocates of the barriers that young families face. It examines national and state-level trends — highlighting areas of opportunity and concern — and then shares potential solutions that can help these families thrive.

Opening Doors for Young Parents