With August being Child Support Awareness Month and nearly 1 in 7 children in the U.S. living in poverty, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s states with the most underprivileged children, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary.
In order to bring awareness to the condition of underprivileged children throughout the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 27 measures of neediness. The data set ranges from share of children in households with below-poverty income to child food-insecurity rate to share of maltreated children.
Welfare of Children in Ohio (1=Most; 25=Avg.):
- 16th – % of children in households with below-poverty Income
- 24th – % of maltreated children
- 16th – child food-insecurity rate
- 28th – % of uninsured children
- 11th – infant mortality rate
- 21st – % of children in foster care
- 11th – % of children in single-parent families
- 25th – child and youth homeless rate
- 16th – % of eesidents who are fully vaccinated
For the full report, visit https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-underprivileged-children/5403.
Excerpts of the commentary
What are the most efficient and effective programs for equalizing opportunity for children?
“There is no one answer but rather a host of programs and services that can make a significant difference. Quality public education, including pre-K child care support and food assistance year-round, matters a lot. For those children in families with the greatest need, housing support – whether in the form of public housing or housing vouchers – provides a necessary starting point. And income support for parents through such things as cash welfare, EITC, or the emerging efforts in some areas to provide a basic income. Even things like increasing the minimum wage can help. Finally, the provision of some services, esp. health care, as a matter of right can help kids receive regular health checkups. Of course, all of these things will still probably fail to equalize opportunity between the richest zip codes and the poorest, but they can help.”
Ezra Rosser, J.D. – Professor; Associate Dean, American University Washington College of Law
“Programs that establish national standards, such as SNAP benefits, are most effective and efficient. Because they are entitlements every family that is eligible for food stamps can receive them, unlike other programs such as Housing Choice Vouchers, which are only available to a quarter of those eligible. Because they are national in scope, the benefits do not vary depending on the actions of state legislatures (the way Medicaid expansion does.) Finally, there is relatively little administrative burden on the beneficiary, meaning that the benefits will not be interrupted by the beneficiary's need to reapply to ensure eligibility. This is in contrast to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. Run by the states, TANF imposes major burdens on applicants to show that they have fulfilled work requirements and to show eligibility. The conditions are so stringent that the program barely exists in states. And unlike SNAP benefits, TANF is not responsive to increases in need (e.g., rising unemployment).”
Margaret Weir – Professor, Brown University
Will the stimulus Child Tax Credit be a big step forward in ending extreme poverty for children and families?
“While the Child Tax Credit indeed temporarily lifted a large percentage of children out of poverty and helped offset the strain of household expenses for many, it would likely need to be sustained for a longer period to have potentially lasting consequences for the well-being of children and families. The causes of poverty include an array of individual, cultural, and structural factors. Addressing these very challenging fundamental causes would likely go much further than temporary tax credits. However, a more equitable tax structure could help facilitate improvements in education, healthcare, and social services that would have many longer-lasting positive impacts.”
Fred E. Markowitz, Ph.D. – Professor, Northern Illinois University
“The expanded Child Tax Credit passed in the American Rescue Plan in 2021 – which reached more families with increased benefits – was a major step forward in reducing poverty among children – and research shows child poverty dropped dramatically immediately after benefits began. The once-a-month distribution was predictable and allowed families to use it for regular expenses such as rent, child care, or food, reaching nearly all children. Before the expansion, about one-third of children were left out and benefits were limited. But the expanded Child Tax Credit expired at the end of 2021. Child poverty is harmful to the children growing up in low-resourced families and communities, but also an economic – and moral – problem for all of us. In 2019, researchers estimated that child poverty costs the US economy costs an estimated $500 billion each year.”
Taryn Morrissey, Ph.D. – Professor, American University Washington College of Law
In evaluating the best and worst states for underprivileged children, what are the top five indicators?
“I would look for: the percent of children living below the poverty line, rates of economic mobility from the work of Raj Chetty, median income in a state, availability of welfare support for the poor, and high school graduation rates.” Ezra Rosser, J.D. – Professor; Associate Dean, American University Washington College of Law
