WalletHub: Underprivileged States in 2024
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/10/16 (Unpublished)
Chip Lupo is an experienced personal finance writer currently contributing to WalletHub. With a background in journalism from Elon University, he has worked across various sectors, including finance, sports, politics, and religion. Chip has expertise in SEO best practices, content creation, and editing, combined with proficiency in Microsoft and Adobe applications. His career spans over two decades, during which he has held roles as a compliance analyst, wire editor, and night city editor. Chip’s passion for media and communications drives his commitment to high-quality content. West Virginia has the most underprivileged children due to high foster care rates, economic instability, and child maltreatment. Mississippi’s high infant mortality ties to poverty and healthcare challenges. Expanding the Child Tax Credit could significantly reduce child poverty, providing vital economic support.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What factors contribute to West Virginia having the most underprivileged children?
Chip Lupo: West Virginia ranks as the state with the most underprivileged children, largely because it has the highest proportion of children in foster care and children living with grandparents. These socio-economic factors, among others, often reflect family instability or economic strain.
Additionally, nearly one-third of West Virginia’s children have parents who lack secure employment, and more than 22% live below the poverty line, which leaves many children without sufficient access to food and other essentials.
These issues are compounded by the fact that West Virginia experiences high incidents of child maltreatment and one of the highest shares of teens experiencing prolonged sadness or hopelessness, which further jeopardizes their mental and emotional well-being.
Jacobsen: How does child food insecurity in Louisiana compare to other states?
Lupo: Louisiana has the highest child food-insecurity rate in the U.S. This rate significantly outpaces other states, as the best-to-worst difference is twice that of Massachusetts, the state with the lowest child food-insecurity rate.
Jacobsen: Why does Mississippi have the highest infant death rate?
Lupo: Mississippi’s high infant mortality rate is tied to critical socio-economic and healthcare challenges facing the state’s children and families such as the highest percentage of children living in households with below-poverty income, which contributes to limited access to nutritious food, stable housing, and consistent healthcare.
Additionally, Mississippi has a high child food insecurity ranking, and many families struggle with health care-related costs, which leads to inadequate preventive and maternal care. These factors, combined with limited economic opportunities, have a direct effect on infant health outcomes, triggering a need for targeted support in healthcare access, economic stability, and early childhood resources.
Jacobsen: What are some of the key differences in child maltreatment rates, the best and worst states for it?
Lupo: There are troubling disparities across the U.S. in terms of child maltreatment rates, as certain states experience much higher levels of abuse and neglect. For example, states such as Massachusetts and West Virginia exhibit some of the highest rates of maltreatment, which place children at heightened risk for physical, emotional, and developmental harm.
In contrast, states such as New Jersey and Washington report significantly lower maltreatment rates. To put this in perspective, children in Massachusetts experience a 10x higher risk of maltreatment than those in New Jersey, highlighting the need for more targeted resources and support systems in states where children are most vulnerable.
Jacobsen: What are the most effective programs currently available to address childhood poverty?
Lupo: Among the most effective programs to combat childhood poverty is the expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC). This initiative targets children in low-income families, particularly those who currently receive a partial or no credit. The program aims to ensure equitable benefits across families, especially those historically marginalized, such as Black, Latino, and American Indian and Alaska Native children by removing the “refundability cap” and implementing a “per-child” phase-in structure.
Additionally, the introduction of a “lookback” provision allows families to use their prior-year income for credit calculations, which would offer stability amid economic fluctuations. The anticipated effect is significant: in the first year, it could lift hundreds of thousands of children above the poverty line and help millions more move closer to it.
Jacobsen: How could an expansion of the Child Tax Credit impact child poverty rates?
Lupo: Expanding the Child Tax Credit could significantly reduce child poverty rates by addressing some core disadvantages faced by underprivileged children. Poverty affects 1 in 6 children in the U.S., which creates barriers to essentials like nutritious food, stable housing, and education. An enhanced Child Tax Credit would support low-income families’ fundamental needs that, when met, would foster healthier childhood development and set a stronger foundation for success in adulthood.
Jacobsen: How did the temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit, during the pandemic, affect child poverty levels?
Lupo: The temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit during the pandemic dramatically reduced child poverty to historic lows in 2021, helping narrow racial and ethnic disparities in child poverty in the process. However, when the tax credit and other pandemic relief measures expired in 2022, the number of children in poverty surged to about 5 million. This is a classic example of how child poverty levels are heavily influenced by policy decisions.
Jacobsen: What are the long-term consequences of growing up in poverty?
Lupo: Growing up in poverty often leads to disadvantages that can affect a child’s entire life. Children in low-income households face higher rates of food insecurity, health issues, and educational barriers, which can impair their ability to thrive.
For example, states such as Mississippi and West Virginia with high rates of child poverty experience increased rates of maltreatment, depression, and homelessness among children. This can have detrimental effects on mental health and social stability well into adulthood. So without essential support in health, education, and welfare, these children are at a high risk of becoming adults who will struggle to break out of poverty.
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