Guest Columnist

 

Diana Polk

States With the Most Underprivileged Children in 2026

 

With August recognized as Child Support Awareness Month and 1 in 7 children in the U.S. living in poverty, has released its report on 2026's States With the Most Underprivileged Children, highlighting where vulnerable youth face the greatest challenges across the country.
 
To highlight where children face the greatest hardships, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 key indicators of child neediness. The analysis examines factors ranging from the share of children living in households below the poverty line to child food insecurity and the share of children who have experienced maltreatment.
 

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

Key Stats
  • Arkansas and Oklahoma have the highest child food-insecurity rate, which is 1.8 times higher than in Massachusetts, the state with the lowest.
     
  • Mississippi has the most infant deaths (per 1,000 live births), which is 3.3 times more than in New Hampshire, the state with the fewest.
     
  • West Virginia has the highest share of children in foster care, which is 13.3 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 7.5 times higher than in Massachusetts, the state with the lowest.
     
  • Maine has the highest share of maltreated children, which is 12.5 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/best-worst-states-underprivileged-children/5403