Introduction

The 2003 CENSUS EDITION of the Oklahoma KIDS COUNT Factbook uses the latest decennial census data (Census 2000) to provide the most comprehensive state and county demographic information available about Oklahoma’s children, including population, gender, race and Hispanic/Latino origin. Additional indicators displayed from Census 2000 were chosen to capture the wide range of conditions that shape the lives of children ... as individuals, in their families and in their neighborhoods.

The federal Census 2000 provides a once in a decade opportunity to assess and display the rich and complex picture of Oklahoma’s children ... establishing a new baseline for the twenty-first century, and beyond.

For this one year and this one edition, the Oklahoma KIDS COUNT Factbook breaks with its established tradition of tracking benchmarks measuring the well-being of Oklahoma children over time and across counties to provide a reference useful to Oklahoma policy makers and advocates for the next several years.

The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy has partnered with the Oklahoma Department of Libraries to make this important document available for download on the web.