Study ranks best, worst states for child well-being: Massachusetts tops list, New Mexico trails
A report released Monday ranks overall children’s well-being by state, accounting for economic, educational, health and community factors.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, a children’s advocacy group, based its rankings on data from 2016 to 2020 – the latest available – capturing the impact of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The state rankings, which the nonprofit has released annually for more than three decades, remain much the same in recent years.
“This is largely because of the investments that states make in programs related to children,” Leslie Boissiere, a vice president at the foundation, told USA TODAY.
“How well-funded the education system is, whether or not [they have] programs such as Medicaid expansion, which provides access to health care for low-income families ... what percentage of children are living in poverty and whether there are programs in place to address that," Boissiere said. "Generally, those are the things that determine where a state ranking is going.”
On top of its findings, this year’s study provides policy recommendations for federal and state governments to improve child well-being, including programs like the 2021 Child Tax Credit.
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“The more resources we give to families to provide for their children to take care of their basic needs, like housing, food and health care, the more likely those kids are to fare well,” Boissiere said.
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The top 10 states for overall child well-being
The top state, Massachusetts, ranked high in all four areas measured by the foundation. It ranked first in child health, second in child education, 10th in family and community and 15th in economic well-being.
1. Massachusetts
2. New Hampshire
3. Minnesota
4. Utah
5. Vermont
6. New Jersey
7. Connecticut
8. Nebraska
9. Iowa
10. Wisconsin
The bottom 10 states for child well-being
The worst state for overall child well-being is New Mexico, according to the report. Despite improvements, the state ranked last in education. It ranked third to last in economic well-being and 39th in health.
41. Alaska
42. West Virginia
43. Arkansas
44. Arizona
45. Texas
46. Alabama
47. Nevada
48. Mississippi
49. Louisiana
50. New Mexico
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best states for child well-being include Massachusetts, New Hampshire
