"This year’s America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being continues two decades of
collaboration by agencies across the Federal Government to advance our understanding of our Nation’s children
and what may be needed to bring them a better tomorrow. Data used in this report were collected before the
COVID-19 pandemic. While many of the data surveys reflected in this report have adapted to address data needs
related to the pandemic, these data were not available for inclusion at the time of publication. Office of the Chief Statistician, U.S. Office of Management and Budget
Introduction
The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (Forum) was chartered in 1997 by Executive Order No. 13045. The Forum fosters collaboration among 23 Federal agencies that produce and use statistics on children and families and seeks to improve these Federal data. Each year, the Forum publishes a report compiling measures of well-being drawn from the most reliable Federal statistics.
Conceptual Framework for Key National Indicators
The Forum has identified 41 indicators that describe the well-being of children. These indicators span seven domains: Family and Social Environment, Economic Circumstances, Health Care, Physical Environment and Safety, Behavior, Education, and Health. The indicators also must meet the following criteria:
„Easy to understand by broad audiences
„Objectively based on reliable data
„Balanced, so that no single area dominates the report
„Measured regularly so that they can be updated and show trends
Representative of large segments of the population
Pending data availability, the Forum updates all 41 indicators annually on its website (https://www.childstats.
gov/) and alternates publishing a detailed report, America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, with
a summary version, America’s Children in Brief, which highlights selected indicators..."
America's children in brief
