With August being Child Support Awareness Month and 1 in 7 children in the U.S. living in poverty, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2025's States With the Most Underprivileged Children, as well as expert commentary.
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 25 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. New Mexico | 11. Alabama |
| 2. Alaska | 12. South Dakota |
| 3. Louisiana | 13. South Carolina |
| 4. Oklahoma | 14. Arizona |
| 5. Mississippi | 15. Montana |
| 6. West Virginia | 16. Oregon |
| 7. District of Columbia | 17. Tennessee |
| 8. Arkansas | 18. Ohio |
| 9. Nevada | 19. Georgia |
| 10. Kentucky | 20. Wyoming |
Key Stats
- Louisiana has the highest child food-insecurity rate, which is two times higher than in Massachusetts, the state with the lowest.
- Mississippi has the most infant deaths (per 1,000 live births), which is 2.9 times more than in New Hampshire, the state with the fewest.
- West Virginia has the highest share of children in foster care, which is 13.8 times higher than in New Jersey, the state with the lowest.
- Texas has the highest share of uninsured children aged 0 to 18, which is 7.9 times higher than in Massachusetts, the state with the lowest.
- Massachusetts has the highest share of maltreated children, which is 11.3 times higher than in New Jersey, the state with the lowest.
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
“Tackling the problem of underprivileged children in America requires a multifaceted approach. On top of lifting children out of poverty and making sure they have access to adequate nutrition and medical care, we also need to look after their mental health, protect them from abuse and ensure they receive quality education. Failing to address even one of these issues can lead to worse outcomes during adulthood.”
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“New Mexico is the state with the most underprivileged children, in part because it has the second-highest share of children in low-income households where no adults work and the highest share of children whose parents lack secure employment. This has resulted in nearly 25% of children in the state living in households whose incomes are below the poverty line. In addition, New Mexico has the tenth-highest share of maltreated children in the nation, along with the highest share of kids ages 16 to 19 who are neither enrolled in school nor employed.”
- Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
Expert Commentary
What are the most efficient and effective programs for equalizing opportunity for children?
“Programs that are most effective at equalizing opportunity focus on both structural and interpersonal or relational support. High-quality early childhood education, access to comprehensive healthcare, food security initiatives, and family-focused case management programs have strong evidence behind them. Culturally grounded community-based services that build trust and empower families are particularly effective for communities of color and immigrant families. Importantly, interventions are most successful when they simultaneously support children and their caregivers and involve them in the co-creation of interventions.”
Cristina Mogro-Wilson, PhD, MSW – Endowed Professor, University of Connecticut
“If we really want to equalize opportunity for kids, we must think bigger than one-off solutions. The programs that work best meet kids and families where they are – and they stick around. We’re talking about things like high-quality early childhood education – programs like Educare or Head Start that don’t just teach ABCs but build social skills, confidence, and resilience. When families have cash – like with the expanded Child Tax Credit – they can afford food, housing, and peace of mind, and that stability shows up in their children’s lives. Community schools are another great example. They turn schools into hubs that offer health care, mental health services, tutoring, after-school programs – you name it. And for older youth, especially those who’ve experienced foster care or the juvenile legal system, we need mentorship provided by caring adults and career pathways. Programs like Year Up or the Seita Scholars Program don’t just get them into college – they walk with them through it, offering housing, coaching, and the kind of support wealthier students often take for granted.”
Johanna K.P. Greeson, PhD, MSS, MLSP – Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Would expanding the Child Tax Credit be a big step toward ending extreme poverty for children and families?
“The child tax credit is an excellent development because it is not means-tested and therefore it is not stigmatized. However, many of the poorest people do not earn enough to need to pay taxes and are not in the system. A family allowance system with payments given automatically from the birth of a child is better suited to ending poverty as it would reach families who are the most in need.”
Katherine van Wormer – Professor Emerita, University of Northern Iowa
“Absolutely. The temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit in 2021 demonstrated immediate and dramatic reductions in child poverty and food insecurity. It offered families the flexibility to meet basic needs without the stigma of traditional welfare programs. Reinstating and expanding the credit, especially in a fully refundable form, would be one of the most direct and impactful steps we could take toward ending extreme poverty for children in the U.S.”
Cristina Mogro-Wilson, PhD, MSW – Endowed Professor, University of Connecticut
Are elected officials placing a sufficiently high priority on the needs of underprivileged children?
“Unfortunately, no – and not in any real, coordinated way. We see attention spike when there’s a crisis or a splashy headline, but the deep, long-haul needs of kids – housing, education, mental health, family stability – rarely make it to the top of the policy agenda. It’s not always about a lack of care – it’s about a lack of commitment. Kids don’t vote, they don’t have PACs, and their needs don’t fit neatly into two-year political cycles. But here’s the thing: child well-being isn’t a side issue – it’s *the* issue. If we want a strong economy, a safe society, a healthy democracy, we must start with kids. Right now, we’re tossing buckets at embers while the whole forest is ready to burn.”
Johanna K.P. Greeson, PhD, MSS, MLSP – Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania
“In many cases, no. While some legislative gains have been made in the last decade, the needs of underprivileged children are often sidelined in favor of short-term political agendas or cost-cutting measures. Children do not vote, and their voices are often excluded from public discourse. Underprivileged children – especially those from BIPOC and immigrant communities – are disproportionately impacted by policies that fail to address housing instability, education gaps, and structural racism. We must move beyond temporary band-aids and commit to sustained investment.”
Cristina Mogro-Wilson, PhD, MSW – Endowed Professor, University of Connecticut
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