This book is divided into two parts. The first part of the report, 'Population and Family Characteristics', presents data that illustrate the changes during the past few decades in nine measures depicting the context of children's lives. These background measures provide basic information about children in the United States and the social and demographic changes occurring in the child population. The second part of the book, 'Indicators of Children's Well-being', contains data on four key areas of child well-being: economic security, health, behaviour and social environment, and education. Appendix A, Detailed Tables, presents tabulated data for each measure and additional detail not discussed in the main body of the book. Appendix B, Data Source Descriptions, describes the sources and surveys used to generate the background measures and the indicators.