Study ranks Arkansas sixth in nation for number of underprivileged children

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A recent study ranks Arkansas high in the nation for the number of underprivileged children in the state.

The consumer finance site WalletHub study placed Arkansas as sixth out of 50 states and the District of Columbia for children with limited access to such things as nutritious meals, quality health care and a secure home life.

The study’s authors looked at 25 key metrics broken down across three ranking categories — health, socio-economic welfare and education — to develop a final score.

Arkansas ranked especially poorly in health, which measured such things as the share of mistreated children, infant mortality rate and child food insecurity rate, leaving the state just off the bottom with a ranking of two out of 51.

A telling statistic here is that Arkansas ranks third in the nation for its infant mortality rate and second for child food insecurity rate.

Socio-economic welfare measured such things as the share of children in foster care, unaccompanied homeless children & youth rate and the share of children living in extreme poverty, giving Arkansas another single-digit rank of sixth. out of 51. This ranking was largely driven by Arkansas ranking fifth in the nation for the percent of children in households with below poverty-level income.

The Natural State’s education ranking was a comparative bright spot at 23 out of 51. This category measured such things as the high school graduation rate, state spending per preschool child, and the quality of the school system in arriving at its final score.

WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said a higher ranking would require a multi-faceted approach.

“On top of lifting children out of poverty and making sure they have access to adequate nutrition and medical care, we also need to look after their mental health, protect them from abuse and ensure they receive quality education,” Happe said. “Failing to address even one of these issues can lead to worse outcomes during adulthood.”

A Children’s Defense Fund study showed that one out of six children in the United States live below the poverty level and that an American child is abused or neglected every 54 seconds.

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