The U.S. States Where Childhood Is Most And Least Protected [Infographic]

Across the United States, millions of children are missing out on a safe and secure childhood. In 2018, more than 11 million U.S. children lived in homes with food insecurity while 180,000 babies were born to girls aged 15 to 19. 21,467 babies died before their first birthday that same year while 5,700 children died or committed suicide. According to Save the Children, location determines destiny for America’s kids and the nonprofit group recently released an analysis of the counties and states where childhood is most and least protected. The research examined data from 2,600 counties in all 50 states focusing on four factors that end childhood: malnutrition, poor education, teenage pregnancy and early death due to ill health, accident, murder or suicide.

While the issue of child deprivation is generally thought of as an urban problem, 84% of the counties where the most children struggle with hunger across the U.S. are rural and high-poverty. 59% of counties with the highest teen birth rates are also rural and high poverty, as are 54% of the counties with the most children dying. Out of the 2,600 counties analyzed by Save The Children, the lowest-ranked areas are predominantly rural, poor, concentrated in the south and are communities of color. Children in the most disadvantaged counties die at a rate five times those of children in the highest ranked counties while girls are up to 26 times more likely to become pregnant. Children also struggle with hunger at rates 3 times as high while they are 14 times more likely to drop out of school or repeat grades.

At state level, children in New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire are far more likely to experience safe and healthy childhoods than children in Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico. Since the last edition of the report was released in 2018, Montana has shown the most progress, moving up 10 places, while Kansas has suffered the highest deterioration, falling 9 spots. Mississippi has the highest rate of children dying before their first birthday at 8.5 deaths per 1,000 live births – considerably higher than the national average of 5.6. The highest rates of food insecurity for children were recorded in New Mexico and Arkansas at 24.1% and 23.6% respectively while the latter also had the highest teen birth rate in the country at almost twice the national average. During the 2016-2017 school year, 15% of high school students failed to graduate and the highest rate was seen in New Mexico at 28.9%.

*Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista)