Caring Causes: Underprivileged Kids and Your State's Ranking

With August being Child Support Awareness Month and the U.S. having the seventh highest child poverty rate among economically developed countries, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2019’s States with the Most Underprivileged Children as well as accompanying videos.
 
In order to bring awareness to the condition of underprivileged children throughout the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 26 key measures of neediness. The data set ranges from share of children in households with below-poverty income to child food-insecurity rate to share of maltreated children.
  

States with the Most Underprivileged Kids
1	District of Columbia		11	Arizona
2	New Mexico		12	Arkansas
3	West Virginia		13	South Dakota
4	Mississippi		14	South Carolina
5	Louisiana		15	Oregon
6	Alaska		16	Florida
7	Oklahoma		17	Kentucky
8	Alabama		18	Georgia
9	Indiana		19	Montana
10	Nevada		20	Tennessee

 
Key Stats

• New Mexico has the highest child food-insecurity rate, 24.10 percent, which is 2.5 times higher than in North Dakota, the state with the lowest at 9.80 percent.
   
• Mississippi has the most infant deaths (per 1,000 live births), nine, which is 2.3 times more than in Massachusetts, the state with the fewest at four.
   
• West Virginia has the highest share of children in foster care, 1.76 percent, which is 6.8 times higher than in Virginia, the state with the lowest at 0.26 percent.
   
• Texas has the highest share of uninsured children aged 0 to 18, 11.00 percent, which is 7.9 times higher than in Massachusetts, the state with the lowest at 1.40 percent.
   
• Kentucky has the highest share of maltreated children, 2.21 percent, which is 13 times higher than in Pennsylvania, the state with the lowest at 0.17 percent.

I had a chance to interview analyst, Jill Gonzalez:

Why is it important to be aware of how one's state ranks in terms of underprivileged children?

"Each state has its own share of underprivileged children. However, some states are better than others at dealing with the issue, and this where the distinction is made. It's important to be aware of how your state manages to address this problem, and improve the quality of life for those living in poverty. This speaks to a state's ability to take care of its residents."

If a family is struggling, where can they go to find resources?

"Struggling families can can turn to authorities or various organizations and get access to things like food stamps, welfare, and even education or mentoring programs."

How can people help underprivileged children in their own state?

"People can help underprivileged children by becoming more involved in the community, making donations or volunteering. Underprivileged children benefit from having adult support. They should also be able to have access to quality food, education and healthcare."

To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit: 
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-underprivileged-children/5403/