New Hampshire has slid to fourth place on a national ranking of places to raise children.
After decades in first place, the Granite State slid to fourth in the Kids Count Index, compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, with Massachusetts, Vermont, and Iowa now holding the top spots.
The drop was attributed to an increase in child poverty, up from 9 percent to 16 percent between 2005 and 2012.
Increases in homes with single parents and where the parents lack secure employment also factored into the decline.
According to the Kids Count report, New Hampshire now has forty-two thousand children living in poverty.
