This dataset contains information about how many diapers it would take to fill the gap faced by families in each county, state, and nationally. We drew on demographic and financial data from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS). Based on previous research, we first estimated that families fall short by an average of 50 diapers a month for the average child age 3 and younger. We then multiplied this monthly gap by 12 months to get the annual diaper gap. Next, we multiplied the annual diaper gap by the total number of children 3 and younger living in households with incomes less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level. The final estimate reflects the number of diapers needed, at the county, state, or national level, to fill the gap families in households with low-to-moderate incomes face.

However, not all counties are represented in the 2023 ACS. To estimate the diaper gap in these counties, we approximated the number of children ages 3 and younger living in households below 300 percent of the federal poverty level using state and county-level Census Bureau data. To calculate the diaper gap, we used the same method outlined above. In the data tool, any values calculated using Census data are denoted by an asterisk. For counties with fewer than 50 estimated children, we mask the estimate for data validity and confidentiality reasons. See the technical appendix for more information.

The financial security and health and well-being indicators were calculated based on the latest years of data available from the annual data releases from County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. We use data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), the ACS, and Urban’s machine learning models to generate the share of households with at least $2,000 in emergency savings. We relied on 2024 data from March of Dimes to identify maternal care deserts. We use data from the National Home Visiting Resource Center's 2024 Home Visiting Yearbook to understand which counties had evidence-based early childhood home visiting services. For information on how we calculated the other health and well-being indicators, see the technical appendix.

The share of children ages 3 through 4 enrolled in preschool, prekindergarten, or nursery school program, is drawn from Urban’s Upward Mobility Dashboard. The share of children proficient in third-grade reading and math are drawn from Urban’s Education-to-Workforce Framework Data Tool.