NH Best State in U.S. for Low-Income Children

Underprivileged children fared better in New Hampshire than anywhere else in the U.S., according to a new study by Wallet Hub, a personal finance website.

And the worst place in the country for poor youngsters is Washington, D.C.

Diana Popa, the site’s communications manager, said “with August being Child Support Awareness Month and a baby being born into poverty every 32 seconds and an average 1,836 new cases of abuse and neglect confirmed daily in the U.S., the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s Best & Worst States for Underprivileged Children.”

The study found New Hampshire has the fewest poor children, based on the percentage living in households below the poverty level, she said.

The worst state, Mississippi, still rated better than D.C., according to the report.

Among the New England states, Connecticut came in second in the sixth spot, followed by Massachusetts, 11th, Vermont, 13th, Maine, 21st, and Rhode Island, 29th.

Pope said the analysts based their conclusions on “16 key metrics ranging from infant-mortality rate to child food-insecurity rate to percentage of maltreated children,” all criteria representing “disadvantage indictors,” she said. It shows the state also ranked close to the top in eight other categories.

Here is her breakdown. The study did not include comparisons of individual cities and towns,

Welfare of Children in New Hampshire (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

• 1st – % of Children in Households with Below-Poverty Income
• 2nd – % of Maltreated Children
• 4th – Child Food-Insecurity Rate
• 8th – % of Children Without Health Insurance
• 2nd – Infant Mortality Rate
• 6th – % of Children in Foster Care
• 5th – % of Children in Single-Parent Families
• 4th – Ratio of Children in Renter-Occupied to Owner-Occupied Homes