By Sabrina Bates
MVP Regional News Editor
The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth recently released its annual report that provides a snapshot of each county in the state and how it measures up when analyzing data for overall child well-being.
Chester County saw significant improvements in overall child well-being, according to this year’s report in comparison to statistics from the previous year. It continues to rank among the top 10 in education in the state as well as show improvement in families burdened by child-care costs.
Chester County had a recorded population of 17,498 in 2022. Tennessee’s overall population last year is noted at 6,975,170, which is an increase from 2021’s overall population at 6,886,786.
Although the state is seeing an increase in population, Chester saw only a slight increase, with a recorded 2021 total population of 17,427. Children under age 18 make up 22.5% of its total population. Last year, there were 3,933 youth in Chester County. In 2021, that number was 3,888.
Based on the latest information, Chester County showed significant progress in the TCCY report’s Economic Well-Being category. The county ranked 44th, which improved from 2022’s rank of 85th.
Determination factors for a look at the economic well-being of families in Chester County include children living in poverty and housing and child-care cost burdens. It faces challenges in child poverty, compared to last year’s report.
Chester County is still close to being in the top third in the state when determining the percentage of its population that is considered severe housing-cost burdened. The county’s rate slightly increased from 9.1% in 2022 to 9.2% this year. In assessing those who are housing cost burdened, the state examined the number of households that spend 50 or more of their total income on housing costs. Chester County ranked 29th in that category in last year’s report and dropped to 32nd based on this year’s data.
Nationally, those who rent are seeing spikes in monthly amounts, while Tennessee and its counties show numbers that are reflective of the trending increase. In February 2022, the median monthly household rent was reported at $1,904. Earlier this year, those numbers jumped to $1,937 across the U.S.
Tennessee’s monthly median rent prices climbed 12% in the past year. Rent.com reports the median in Tennessee at $1,605 this year, compared to $1,412 in 2022. The spike left Tennessee with having the ninth highest median monthly rent prices in the nation.
Chester County also saw an increase in monthly rent costs – from $1,129 in 2022 to $1,160 – according to the TCCY report.
As inflation continues to impact households, Tennessee and its counties were not immune to seeing an increase in the price of homes. The median price of home sales reported during 2021 was $244,900. Last year, that number rose to $283,410. Home prices also increased in Chester County. In 2021, the average home price was $146,350. That price increased to $165,000 in 2022 in the county.
There were less children in the food-stamp program in Chester County last year compared to the previous year. In 2021, 1,021 children received the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the county. In 2022, that number dropped to 1,000 children in the program in Chester County.
State and county data shows increases in personal incomes from 2021 to 2022. Tennessee’s average annual income was reported at $51,046 in 2021. That amount increased to $56,560 in 2022. In Chester County, personal income averages were $38,107 annually in 2021 and $41,568 in 2022.
The county saw a slight increase in the percentage of children living in poverty in 2022 than the previous year, which lowered Chester County’s state ranking. According to the TCCY data, the percentage of children living in poverty in Chester County in 2022 was 23.3, compared to 22% in 2021. The county’s ranking in that category dropped from 31st to 65th as a result.
Statewide, 18.4% of children live in poverty. The county with the lowest percentage of children living in poverty was Middle Tennessee’s Williamson County, with Franklin, Brentwood and Spring Hill a part of that county. Williamson County’s rate was 3.9%.
The county with the highest percentage of children living in poverty was Hancock County, which borders Virginia. It is among the smallest counties in Tennessee, with a reported 2022 population of 6,757. Hancock County shows 42.6% of its children living in poverty in 2022.
Another data-set determining counties’ economic well-being includes child-care cost burden. The burden is defined as child-care costs for a household with two children as a percentage of median household income. In Tennessee, the percent of households that are “burdened” by childcare costs was 23.9 in 2022.
Chester County saw improvements although it still faces challenges, dropping from 76th in 2021 to 28th in 2022. The 2022 report showed 24.7% of households burdened by child-care costs. This year’s report saw that percentage slightly drop to 22.7.
Lake County in West Tennessee has the highest percentage of families burdened with child-care costs in the state at 40.1. Williamson County has the state’s lowest percentage at 11.9, based on its population and median household income.
For more information, visit https://www.tn.gov-/tccy/data-and-research/county-profiles.html.
