The Worst States for Kids

Eighth-worst state for kids: Oklahoma
Child well-being index score: -0.56
Dropping further down the index, Oklahoma comes in at No. 8 for its child well-being indicators. While the state's Department of Health has several initiatives targeted at families and children, a number of independent groups and nonprofit organizations including the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth and the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy have stepped in to add to the effort.

Seventh-worst state for kids: Alabama
Child well-being index score: -0.59
Alabama is a regular feature on the lower end of well-being rankings in the U.S. (see our Healthiest States in America or the Most Sinful States in America for starters), and that unfortunately doesn't change when talking about children. Alabama is one of the states with the lowest reading scores (with only 31% of fourth-graders reading at proficient levels).

Sixth-worst state for kids: Arizona
Child well-being index score: -0.68
At No. 6, Arizona's numbers are pretty bad across the board. It's the sixth-worst state in terms of reading levels, the eighth-worst state for young-adult education and the fifth-worst state for health insurance coverage for children.

Fifth-worst state for kids: Nevada
Child well-being index score: -0.74
Home of the famously sinful Las Vegas, Nevada has had a difficult few years. Reduced tourism and a severely depressed housing market have strained state finances to the breaking point. No wonder the state ranked as the least happy in the U.S. last year. It's not like the government isn't doing anything about the problem, though - the state's Division of Child and Family Services has a number of ongoing initiatives to address it.

Fourth-worst state for kids: Arkansas
Child well-being index score: -0.77
Arkansas may have produced one of the most popular presidents in recent memory (Bill Clinton), but its child welfare metrics place it at fourth-worst in the nation. It's not a new problem, and local groups including the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families have been working for decades to improve the situation for young people. They admit that the gains have been slow, but their efforts enjoy broad support in the state.

Third-worst state for kids: Louisiana
Child well-being index score: -0.80
Louisiana is also a common fixture of the bottom of many state-by-state rankings, with considerable hardship coming on the heels of the devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Things have gone considerably better since then though, and the state's low unemployment (6.8% versus the national average of 8.5% in December) indicates that the state should improve in next year's ranking.

Second-worst State for Kids: Mississippi
Child well-being index score: -0.92
At No. 2, and in a familiar spot at the bottom of our roundups of how states rank in terms of quality of life, is Mississippi. The state was named the least healthy in the nation last year, and it is home to four of the poorest counties in the country. It's no wonder the children of Mississippi have a hard time thriving if those are the conditions of the state's adult population.

The worst state for kids: New Mexico
Child well-being index score: -0.96
Almost approaching the index's worst ranking of -1, New Mexico wins the unfortunate prize for being the worst state for children in the whole country. Its education scores are dismal, posting a fourth-worst score for reading proficiency and a second-worst ranking for young adult education, and it's the fourth-worst in the nation for health insurance coverage among children. Like with Louisiana, though, New Mexico's low unemployment rate (6.6% in December) may indicate a recovery on the way that should have some trickle-down effect on the state's children.

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