Arizona’s improving economy and welfare reforms have led to better outcomes for children, according to a new report.
Common Sense Institute Arizona released a report called "Trends in Child Welfare: The State of Arizona’s Child Welfare Services Child Welfare Needs" last week, highlighting improvements in the state's child welfare system.
“Good economic policy is good child welfare policy,” Glenn Farley, CSI's director of policy and research, told The Center Square.
Farley said fewer Arizona children “need to be removed from their family homes today than there once were because of improving conditions for children in the state.”
The CSI report showed that, in 2010, the average median family income in Arizona was $58,317. The percentage of Arizona children who were in low-income households was 52%, and the food insecurity rate for children was 29%.
In 2023, Arizona’s median family income increased to $89,000. The share of children in low-income households fell to 38%, and the child food insecurity rate decreased to 18%.
While Arizona's economy was improving, the state implemented reforms to strengthen its child welfare system.
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