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0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8e1b0000The First Decade: Early Childhood Disparities and the Future of N.H.’s KidsWhen it comes to kids’ well-being, New Hampshire ranks high overall in survey after survey. But the real picture of how kids are faring goes deeper than that. Children in poor families continue to lose ground in everything from access to health care to quality education to opportunities to play sports. All this week, NHPR takes a look at how disparities in early childhood shape a child’s chances for success later in life. You can see all the stories in the series in the river below, or browse stories by day/topic:Home & Family - MondayHealth & Nutrition - TuesdayEducation - WednesdayPlay - ThursdayPolitics & Policy - Thursday

Kids Ten And Under Are N.H.'s Vanishing Population

Wayne Silver Via Flickr CC

According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning, the state's overall population grew from just over 1.1 million in 1990 to more than 1.3 million in 2013, an increase of 19.2%. In that same period of time, there's been a notable drop in kids aged ten and under in the state - the very population we're looking all week at in our special series The First Decade.

A Precipitous Decline 

Since 1990, the number of kids in the Granite State aged ten and under has decreased by 14.3%, dropping from just over 180K in 1990, to fewer than than 155K in 2013. According to Steve Norton at the NH Center for Public Policy Research, the reason behind the decline in kids is clear:

"Natural declines in [the state's] birth rate have not been offset by in-migration of younger couples having children."

Learn more on the NH Center for Public Policy Research website right here.

The charts below illustrate these changes in numbers in young kids in the state, and compare them with broader population trends. 

A Shrinking Percentage

In 1990, kids aged ten and under accounted for 16.3% of New Hampshire's population. In 2013, the same age group accounted for 11.7%. While the state's overall population grew by 19.2% in that period, the population of kids ten and under dropped by 14.3%

Click through the charts to see the change over time*. 

*1990, 2000, 2010 US Census Data. 2013 Data via the NH OEP's Population Estimate

The Bigger Picture

There's plenty of research to back up oft-voiced concerns about the demographics of New Hampshire residents, in particular, how it's "graying," or skewing older as it grows. 

In addition to the numbers, there are also geographic patterns, and for some counties, the population of kids is staggeringly small. Below are two maps of New Hampshire's population of kids by county; first, a look at kids eighteen and under, then a look at the county population of kids aged five and under. 

So, how does the population of kids in New Hampshire stack up to other states? Take a look at this Kids Count map, which shows the number of kids under eighteen by state in 2013. You can get dig in to the data to look at national trends on the Kids Count website

Data Sources:

Kids Count Data Center, A Project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation

The New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning

The US Census, 2010

The NH Center for Public Policy Research

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