WalletHub has released its latest report on the “States With the Most Underprivileged Children in 2024.” This comprehensive study, coupled with expert commentary, underscores the pressing issues faced by children across the United States and highlights areas in dire need of improvement to better the lives of our nation’s youth.
WalletHub’s report offers a detailed comparison of all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 critical metrics. These metrics range from the percentage of children living in households with incomes below the poverty line to the incidence of child maltreatment, child mortality rates, and levels of food insecurity. The findings reveal significant disparities and underscore the urgent need for policy interventions.
In the rankings, New Mexico stands out as particularly concerning, coming in fourth overall in terms of child welfare challenges. Specifically, the state ranks third for the percentage of children living in households with below-poverty incomes, indicating a severe economic hardship for a substantial portion of its youth. Furthermore, New Mexico is seventh in terms of child food insecurity rates, reflecting widespread hunger among children.
The state also shows troubling figures in other areas: it ranks thirteenth for the percentage of maltreated children and seventeenth for the percentage of uninsured children. Additionally, New Mexico has a high rate of children in single-parent families, placing fourth in this category, and it ranks fifteenth in terms of child and youth homelessness. These rankings collectively paint a stark picture of the challenges faced by children in New Mexico.
The report also identifies West Virginia as the state with the most underprivileged children. The state’s high share of children in low-income households with no employed adults and significant child maltreatment rates contribute to its dire ranking. This comparison highlights the broader national issue of child poverty and maltreatment.
Experts provided valuable insights into the effectiveness of various programs aimed at alleviating child poverty. Darcey H. Merritt, MSW, Ph.D., from The University of Chicago, noted the importance of comprehensive family support programs. “Financial support for the entire family is critical, inclusive of support for parents. Early Head Start and Head Start programs have proven across the years to be instrumental in leveling the playing field for children living in poverty at extremely sensitive times of child development.”
Arturo Baiocchi, Ph.D., from California State University, Sacramento, elaborated on the long-term impacts of child poverty. “The enduring impact of child poverty has sometimes been described as having a ‘long arm’ across the life course – the disadvantages of growing up in poverty accumulate over time and restrict the opportunities that people face at different phases of their life.”
Ezekiel Dixon-Román from Columbia University stressed the importance of legislative action in addressing these issues. “There are definitely elected officials that understand and are prioritizing the needs of children coming from low-resourced homes and communities. The problem is a consequential gridlock in Congress and the capacity to successfully put forward necessary legislation for what is known to make a difference.”
The full report by WalletHub, available here, provides a detailed analysis of the metrics used and further insights into the conditions faced by underprivileged children across the United States.
As long as a Democrat is running New Mexico, our children will remain the most impoverished and undereducated in the entire country.
Thank you life long Dems who simply go into the “booth” and push the “D” button. Bravo! Keep up the fantastic work destroying this state. It is working!!
Wait until Kameltoe and Tampon Tim take over. You want socialism you will see it. NMs need to look at their beliefs and vote accordingly (which is is overwhelmingly conservative)
But albuquerque has the prettiest medians in the country !
Doing something in ignorance over and over and expecting a different results is a perfect description of NM.
Are these U.S. Citizens or foreigners ???
Most are citizens. When you have a large number of families that have been on welfare for 3-6 or more generations this is a result. Add to that those that lost jobs because of the plandemic it all adds up. When the incentive to work is lost it leads to poverty and many times crime.
All by design so the socialist government takes care of them.
To much government in our daily lives most of the people here in New Mexico work for the government in one way or another be it city ,county,state or federal nobody wants to get a real job and I think it’s had an effect on our work ethic and our culture
It’s all about the chile, green or red? The legacy of New Mexico is not God, family, and freedom. The welfare and hope for children have
floated away like hot air balloons in the sky, thank you MLG, Tim Keller
and Democrats of NM.