(McClatchy-Tribune Information Services) -- Iowa children are better off than those in Nebraska, according to a new national report.

But the 2009 Kids Count Data Book shows growing numbers of children in both states living in poverty. The increases occurred even before the current recession hit last year.

The report is based on 2006 and 2007 data, the latest available.

Kids Count, released annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore, provides state-by-state data on child death rates, teen births, single-parent families and other measures of child well-being.

Children in Nebraska and Iowa fare better than the national average, according to the report, which was released Tuesday.

The Hawkeye State ranks sixth and the Cornhusker State 11th in the study. That's up two notches for Iowa, down two for Nebraska from last year's book.

Higher numbers of poor children and an increase in the teen death rate drove down the Nebraska ranking.

Iowa's ranking rose because of improvements in infant, child and teen death rates.

Fifteen percent of Nebraska children lived in poverty during 2007, up from 10 percent in 2000. The poverty line in 2007 was $21,027 for a family of four.

The increase occurred even though Nebraska ranked second nationally for the lowest percentage of children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment and seventh-lowest for the percentage in single-parent families.

Single parents and those without full-time, year-round employment are more likely to be poor.

Iowa saw a smaller jump in children living in poverty, the Kids Count report showed. Fourteen percent of children were in poverty during 2007, up from 13 percent in 2000.

Trends in both states followed national patterns, except for the teen death rate in Nebraska.

The death rate was 83 per 100,000 youngsters ages 15 to 19 in Nebraska for 2006, up from 73 per 100,000 in 2000.

Voices for Children of Nebraska said a sharp increase in teen suicides was the main reason for the higher death rate. The World-Herald reported in depth about a teen suicide cluster that occurred in Sarpy County from 2005 through 2007.

Nebraska saw improvement in four measures: infant mortality rate, child death rate, teen birthrate and high school dropout rate. There was no change in the percentage of teens not attending school and not working.

In addition to teen death rates, four other measures worsened: low birth weight babies; children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment; children in poverty; and children in single-parent families.

Iowa saw improvement in five measures, worsening in four and no change in one. The pattern was the same as Nebraska except that Iowa improved its teen death rate.

Copyright (C) 2009, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.