The United States having the second highest rate of relative child poverty among economically developed nations. In order to assess the living and economic conditions of young people across the nation, WalletHub, a leading personal finance website, conducted an in-depth analysis of the 50 States and the District of Columbia.
The site relied on 15 key metrics ranging from infant death rates to child food-insecurity rates to the percentage of maltreated children and used them to rank the Best States for Underprivileged Children and Worst.
Sadly, the nation’s capital ranked dead last! Boo!
We noted that all of the bottom 10 are states in the South and the majority of the top ten are in the Midwest. Below is the breakdown of the top ten and bottom ten and some key stats:
Best States for Underprivileged Children
1 New Hampshire
2 New Jersey
3 Minnesota
4 Connecticut
5 North Dakota
6 Wisconsin
7 Utah
8 Iowa
9 Massachusetts
10 Virginia
Worst States for Underprivileged Children
42 Alabama
43 Arkansas
44 South Carolina
45 Florida
46 Louisiana
47 New Mexico
48 Georgia
49 Arizona
50 Mississippi
51 District of Columbia
Key Stats
- The District of Columbia’s child food-insecurity rate is three times as high as North Dakota’s.
- Mississippi’s infant mortality rate per 1,000 births is twice as high as Iowa’s.
- The percentage of children in foster care in the District of Columbia is five times higher than in Virginia.
- The percentage of children in single-parent families in the District of Columbia is three times higher than in Utah.
- The percentage of children in households with income below poverty level in Mississippi is three times higher than in New Hampshire.
- The percentage of children without health insurance in Nevada is 10 times higher than in Massachusetts.
- The percentage of maltreated children in Kentucky is 15 times higher than in Missouri.
For the full report and to see where your state ranks, please visit Wallet Hub HERE!