Youth crime in Hamilton County has increased alongside abuse and neglect, according to data released by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth in its annual County Profiles of Child Well-Being report.
The report spotlights each county's strengths and weaknesses to highlight areas for improvement in an assessment of 52 indicators affecting child development, including education, health and economics.
Primarily from 2022, the data shows Williamson, Wilson and Moore were among the best-scoring counties, while Lake County, Shelby and Davidson counties, which include Memphis and Nashville respectively, ranked among those with the most room for improvement.
Hamilton County placed 48th out of the state's 95 counties.
The 10 top-ranked counties:
— Williamson
— Wilson
— Moore
— Trousdale
— Sumner
— Weakley
— Carroll
— Rutherford
— Blount
— Lawrence
The 10 counties with the most room for improvement:
— Lake
— Shelby
— Davidson
— Hardin
— Madison
— Houston
— Haywood
— Hardeman
— Campbell
— Sevier
(READ MORE: Deaths of Tennessee children from suspected abuse or neglect rose nearly 30% in 2023)
In a state where more than half of children are on Medicaid and 17.6% lived below the federal poverty line in 2022, Hamilton County performs well with a low rate of children without insurance, ranking 25th overall, according to the report. Additionally, the percentage of children living below the federal poverty line is low, and the county ranks 20th overall compared to its peers.
Where the county needs work, the report shows, is its youth crime rate, which increased to 63.2% per 1,000 people ages 12-17 in 2022, as city leaders seek money to combat gun violence through added programs, the Chattanooga Times Free Press previously reported. The year before, the county's youth violence rate was 58.5%.
The county's childhood cost burden increased to 26.1% from 24.5%, in line with a statewide trend, as Hamilton County unemployment rates tick up while national inflation rates begin to decrease. The childhood cost burden is defined as the average market price for full-time care of an infant and a 2-year-old through school-aged child, as a percentage of the county's estimated median household income, according to a news release from the commission. Statewide, the child care cost burden rate was 40.9% between 2022 and 2023, which is an increase from 27.9% from 2021 to 2022.
Additionally, the percentage of child abuse and neglect victims in the area rose from 8.5% in 2021 to 9.9% from 2022 to 2023. There were improvements in the numbers of Hamilton County children graduating from high school on time, at an increased rate of 89.5% compared to 88.7%. However, the county's overall reading and math proficiency for children in third through eighth grade both decreased, illuminating racial gaps among the subjects.
Where Hamilton County ranks among Tennessee's 95 counties:
— Economic well-being: 48
— Education: 59
— Health: 9
— Family and community: 74
Overall in 2022, 17.8% of children were living in poverty, a slight decrease from 18.8% in 2021. Williamson County, the state's richest, had the lowest children in poverty rate at 3.6% while Lake County represented 42.9%.
Statewide, the child care cost burden rate was 40.9% between 2022 and 2023, which is an increase from 27.9% from 2021 to 2022. Hardin County had the highest child care cost burden at 105.7% while Fayette and Williamson tied for the lowest rates with 19.6% each.
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The rate of childhood abuse or neglect victims was 9.8 per 1,000 children in 2022. Cocke County had the highest rate of 31 while Williamson scored the lowest, with 1.7 per 1,000. Additionally, statewide chronic absenteeism, the amount of time children miss school, was 19.6% from 2022 to 2023, a decrease from 20.3% in 2021 to 2022. Sequatchie County had the highest rate, 34.2%, while Williamson County had the lowest at 8.5%
Crime among Tennessee's youth in 2022 was 58.4 per 1,000 people ages 12-17, an increase from 57.8 per 1,000 in 2021, which may be attributed to social media and bullying, the report said. Maury County had the highest rate at 99.37, while Perry and Picket counties both had the lowest rate at zero.
Tennessee counties surrounding Hamilton child well-being rankings:
— Grundy: 67
— Marion: 51
— Sequatchie: 80
— Bledsoe: 74
— Rhea: 13
— Bradley: 32
— Meigs: 27
— McMinn: 29
— Polk: 61
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Executive Director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, Richard Kenney, said the agency, which is independent and nonpartisan, was created by the General Assembly to ensure the state's policies and programs effectively promote and protect the health, well-being and development of children and youth.
"We support every county as they work to improve outcomes for children, youth and families," Kenney said in a news release. "These county profiles serve as a vital tool at the state level, but they are primarily for county level officials, nonprofits and communities to evaluate where they can celebrate success, opportunities for growth and how to direct their focus and funding for the next year."
Contact Leah Hunter at lhunter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6363.
