A new study reveals that the rate of child poverty across the nation has been on the rise for over a decade, while African American and Latino children are more likely to grow up in a low-income household.

The annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, analyzed data collected from 1990 to 2012 and found that about 23 percent of children in 2012 are living in families below the poverty line.

The study assessed children's overall well-being based on four factors: economic status, education, health and family and community.

Although poverty rates in the U.S. dropped from 1990 to 2000, the number shot back up in the early 2000s, and the rate peaked at 22 percent in 2010. Since then, the number has remained relatively the same.

According to Annie E. Casey Foundation's president and CEO Patrick McCarthy, working class families are still struggling to recover from the 2008 economic downturn triggered by the financial crisis. There are also fewer resources available from federal entitlement programs like Medicaid or Medicare. Other factors keeping poor families in poverty include the high cost for housing and transportation.

"That's what's driving that drop," McCarthy said, according to USA Today.

On the bright side, the study also revealed that teen pregnancy has reached an all-time low, while child and teen death rates are down. Plus, more children are being enrolled in preschool and have proficient reading and math skills.

"In my view it's a real mixed bag because we do have a lot of good things to point to," McCarthy said. "We've now learned what works in certain areas. That's where we have success."

McCarthy says the success in health and education is largely due to good state policy and credits states that make greater investments in children's health insurance and educational programs. However, the report shows that children in the South are more likely to live in poverty compared to those who live in the North. Hence, the five lowest states are Arizona, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico and Mississippi, and the top five states are Massachusetts, Vermont, Iowa, New Hampshire and Minnesota.

"There are different decisions in where to invest in childhood (policies) between southern and northern states," McCarthy said.

"Despite some progress being made across racial divides, Latino, African American and Native American groups still suffer more than other ethnic groups. African American and Latino children are seeing increases in reading and math proficiencies, but still hail from some of the poorest communities and households in the U.S., McCarthy said," report the Detroit Free Press.

"Some of the biggest (racial) disparities are in poverty," McCarthy said. "Almost half of African American kids are in households where there is no stable income; what we've seen is some closure of the gap in education measures. ... But those numbers are still pretty sobering."