Study: Nearly 1 in 3 Arkansas Kids Live In Poverty

A new study says that nearly three out of 10 Arkansas kids are living in poverty but the number of children without health insurance has dropped.

The 25th annual Kids Count report from the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation is being released Tuesday.

It ranked Arkansas 41st in 16 indicators across four areas: economic well-being, education, health and family and community.

The report says 29 percent of children in Arkansas were living in poverty in 2012, up from 25 percent in 2005. Six percent of children lacked health insurance in 2012, down from 9 percent in 2005.

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families executive director Rich Huddleston says that the poverty increase is troublesome but that it's a trend seen nationwide.