Community Corner
Florida Kids Are Among America’s Neediest: Study
Florida ranked near the top in an analysis meant to uncover which states have the greatest number of underprivileged children.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Florida might be famed for its sunshine, beaches and theme parks, but it’s also home to a lot of needy kids. So many, in fact, the state ranked the 12th highest in the country in an analysis conducted by WalletHub meant to determine the states have the most underprivileged kids.
WalletHub’s analysis covered all 50 states and the District of Columbia. While the Sunshine State was named the 12th worst in the country, Mississippi led the nation, followed by Washington, D.C. New Hampshire ranked as the best state in the country followed by New Jersey and Connecticut.
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The analysis was taken on by the number crunchers at WalletHub in light of August being “Child Support Awareness Month,” according to spokeswoman Diana Popa. It also is timely, she said, as concern grows “over Republican’s proposed Medicaid cuts that are likely to impact children, especially those with disabilities and special needs.”
To create the rankings, WalletHub looked at 21 metrics related to “neediness.” Factors considered for the rankings included the percentage of kids living in households below the poverty line, child food insecurity, infant mortality rates and the number of single-parent families, among others. Data for the study was pulled from such sources as the Administration for Children and Families, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Feeding America and the National Center for Educational Statistics. More information on the methodology used can be found on WalletHub.
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Florida’s poor placement comes from low marks in several different categories considered for the rankings. According to WalletHub, the state ranked poorly on such individual metrics as:
- Percentage of uninsured children – 5th place
- Percent of children in single-parent families – 7th place
- Child food insecurity rate – 10th place
- Child and youth homeless rate – 13th place
- Percentage of children living in households with below-poverty income – 15th
- Percentage of maltreated children – 19th
- Infant mortality rate – 23rd
For more information about the study, visit WalletHub online.
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