Though child care disruptions have declined, families with children under 5 still face difficult child care decisions. 1 in 5 adults experienced a child care disruption at some point during the 4 weeks ending June 13, 2022.

Broadband internet access has become an essential utility for every American family. Though internet access has spread, disparities remain.

Local news sources are an essential platform for both transparency and community input in small communities, and many understand what is lost without them. The steady decline of local newsrooms since 2004 has accelerated since the beginning of the pandemic, with newspapers closing at an average rate of 2 per week.

A diverse judiciary promotes richer jurisprudence, benefiting from judges who have seen problems from different angles. Many state supreme courts lack the diversity of the populations they represent.

One in three adults who previously had Covid have experienced prolonged symptoms, known as Long Covid. More than 40% of Covid survivors in 5 Southern states have reported Long Covid symptoms: 41.5% in LA, 44.2% in AL, 45.6% in KY, 45.9% in TN, and 49.3% in WV. With Covid cases beginning to increase across the nation in the week ending July 9,6 the number of people experiencing Long Covid symptoms will also increase.

The U.S. Covid death toll officially reached 1 million in May 2022. A new study shows that about one-quarter of those lives — at least 225,000 — could have been saved if each state had vaccinated 90% of adults.

Many Southern states are among the worst. Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Louisiana have the worst infant mortality rates in the country and also restrictive electoral climates.

30 states have constitutional requirements that elections be “free.” In 18 of those states, the constitution goes further, requiring that elections be “equal” or “open.”

The December 2020 stimulus bill and the March 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) include a combined $45 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) funds. Grantees who fail to spend 50% of their ERA allotment may find some of their funds reallocated to ensure all funds are spent by September 2022. Many Southern states have been slow to distribute these funds, including TN where only 31% of ERA funds have been spent, WV with only 33% spent, AL with only 34% spent, and GA with only 35% spent.

Census data has historically undercounted communities of color, with gaps widening this year for some groups. These undercounts reduce political representation and funding for affected communities nationwide.

Over the last 2 years, climate disasters have compounded the nation’s misery. Southerners have been most likely to experience a disaster, with 70% of Southerners living in a county that has had a disaster since March 2020, compared to 58% of non-Southerners.

Since December 2021, 26 million workers have quit their jobs. The job quits rate was highest in leisure and hospitality (5.5% in May) and in retail (4.0% in May) where wages are low and working conditions are poor. With fewer people in the labor market, workers are increasingly demanding higher wages and better working conditions.

While almost 22 million jobs were lost when Covid hit, they have now, some two years later, been largely recouped. Among Southern states, 6 have more jobs as of May 2022 than they did at their pre-pandemic February 2020 level.

Firearm suicides accounted for 24,292 deaths in 2020 compared to 19,384 firearm homicides and 1,546 other firearm deaths. The number of firearm suicides increased from 23,941 in 2019 to 24,292 in 2020, and then to 26,316 based on 2021 provisional data.

The American Rescue Plan provided monthly Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments from July through December 2021, raising children out of poverty such that the child poverty rate fell to about 12% each month. The loss of these CTC payments put children back into poverty.

Between 2009 and 2019, the share of high school students experiencing feelings of sadness or hopelessness, seriously considering suicide, and creating a suicide plan increased by 40%, 36%, and 44%, respectively. Experts warn that the pandemic has caused these rates to spike again.

Social isolation and uncertainty hit nearly every sector of society when Covid struck, amplifying anxiety and stress nationwide. The number of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorder has tripled since the start of the pandemic, up to 33% in June 2022 from 11% in 2019.

Fears of foreclosure or eviction are rising, particularly across the South. Among adults not up to date on rent or mortgage, 72% of Arkansans, 62% of South Carolinians, 59% of Mississippians, 53% of North Carolinians, 50% of Louisianans, 46% of Tennesseans, and 45% of Georgians fear they will be evicted or foreclosed upon.

In June 2022, 13% of Southerners (and 10% of non-Southerners) reported their household didn’t have enough to eat. Without Child Tax Credit payments, this summer is particularly difficult for low-income families who are also missing out on school lunches.

The employment rate for Black adults aged 16+ increased 2.1 points to 58.6% between December 2021 and June 2022, while overall employment increased 0.4 points to 59.9%. The employment rate for women increased 0.5 points to 56.2% between December 2021 and June 2022.