Has every state seen a decline in its share of children since a generation ago? | Fact brief

Every U.S. state saw its share of residents under 18 decline from 2000 to 2020, according to census data compiled by Iowa State University and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

New Hampshire had the largest drop over that period, with its share of children falling 6.29 percentage points to 18.8%, followed by Alaska (-5.82 percentage points), Vermont (-5.78) and New Mexico (-5.42).

Maine had the fifth-largest decline, with its share of kids dropping from 23.6% to 18.6% — a decrease of 4.99 percentage points.

Nationally, the share of kids declined by 3.31 percentage points over the 20-year period, falling from about 25.7% of the U.S. population to 22.4%.

The smallest declines occurred in North Dakota (-1.06 percentage points), Nebraska (-1.43), Oklahoma (-1.52), Iowa (-1.80) and Kentucky (-1.84).