Child poverty in Minnesota rose 33 percent between 2000 and 2007, six times the national average, and several other measures of child well-being declined, according to a widely-watched annual report on the nation's children. Overall, Minnesota still ranks No. 2 nationally in the annual "Kids Count'' study, with strong showings in health and educational status.

But several indicators seem to show the effect of a sharp downturn in Minnesota's economy and state budget cuts in the past several years. "It's not surprising, but it's bothersome," said Nan Madden, an analyst at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits who directs its Minnesota Budget Project. "We've become a more fragile state economically, and when that happens, poverty rises." The Kids Count report is produced annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation of Baltimore.

Minnesota's slippage appears to reflect the start of the recession in 2007, when the state's job creation and incomes began to lag behind national averages, said Chuck Johnson, assistant commissioner of children and family services at the Minnesota Department of Human Services. It could also reflect the state's changing demographic makeup, he said. "We're beginning to look more like the rest of the country," Johnson said.

"Certainly we should be concerned," he added, although he noted that the child-poverty figures were virtually unchanged from last year's report. "There are some things we should look at -- more work collecting child-support payments, for instance."

However, child poverty almost certainly is increasing because of the weak economy and state cuts in programs such as child care assistance for low-income families, said Johnson and Kara Arzamendia, research director for the Children's Defense Fund Minnesota.