Poverty is related to every KIDS COUNT indicator. Children in poverty, especially those who experience poverty in early childhood and for extended periods, are more likely to have physical and behavioral health problems, experience difficulty in school, become teen parents, and earn less or be unemployed as adults. Children in poverty are less likely to be enrolled in a child care care center or preschool, more likely to attend schools that lack resources and rigor, and have fewer opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities.
Income supports, such as child care assistance, health care (RIte Care), food assistance and tax credits, can help families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold meet their basic needs.
Factbook Indicators
The 2025 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook provides a statistical portrait of the status of Rhode Island’s children and youth.
By examining the best available data statewide and in Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT provides an information base that can result in more effective policy and community action on behalf of children and families.
ECONOMIC WELL-BEING INDICATORS
Median Family Income
Cost of Housing
Children Experiencing Homelessness
Secure Parental Employment
Paid Family Leave
Children Receiving Child Support
Children in Poverty
Children in Families Receiving Cash Assistance
Children Receiving SNAP Benefits
Women and Children Participating in WIC
Children Participating in School Meals
Publications
Our publications provide an in-depth analysis of current issues affecting Rhode Island children and families, incorporating the best available data, research, and best practices. Each publication includes specific recommendations for improvement.
- Increase the Child Support Pass-Through, June 2025
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Rhode Island Works, 2025
- This Policy Brief — co-authored by Divya Nair, Senior Policy Analyst for Children & Families at the Economic Progress Institute, and Jessica Vega, Senior Advocacy & Community Engagement Manager at Rhode Island KIDS COUNT — examines the key programs that support Rhode Islanders in poverty. These are the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant and RI Works, the state’s cash assistance and work support program. The authors present compelling evidence that Rhode Island isn’t doing nearly all it could be doing to strengthen these programs, which are a lifeline for some of our most impoverished and vulnerable neighbors.
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Children’s Economic Well-Being in Rhode Island, 2021
- Housing Instability and Homelessness Among Rhode Island Children, 2021
- Child Hunger in Rhode Island, 2020
- Child Poverty in Rhode Island, June 2020
Raising RI Coalition
The Raising RI Coalition is dedicated to lifting children out of poverty by increasing the RI Works* benefit and to breaking the cycle of poverty by providing parents with education and training opportunities leading to well-paying, secure jobs. Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is a Coalition member.
*RI Works is the state’s cash assistance program for children and their parents or caregivers and a work preparation program for the adults.
Advocacy
Monitor Legislation in the Rhode Island General Assembly.