U.S. Children Raised In Kinship Families More Likely To Live In Poverty, Have Physical & Mental Health Issues, Or Special Education Needs

Children in the United States who are raised in kinship families are more likely to live in poverty, have physical and mental health issues, or have special education needs. Kinship families include children who are raised by relatives or close family friends because their parents cannot care for them. As of 2023, about 2.4 million children in the U.S. were living in a kinship family.

The analysis was conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Data from Census Bureau and Department of Health and Human Services data from 2019 through 2023 were used in the analysis . . .