Young and Vulnerable: Children Five and Under Experience High Maltreatment Rates

Federal data on child maltreatment from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System show that infants and children up to age 5 are disproportionately reported for abuse and neglect. While infants and children under age 5 represent 34 percent of the overall child population in the United States, in 2009, 40 percent of all children reported as victims of abuse or neglect were under age 5. This brief contains national and state tables of maltreatment rates.