Map Reveals States Where Youth Are Most At Risk
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Research conducted by WalletHub has determined which states contain the most at-risk young people.
WalletHub researchers looked at people between the ages of 18 and 24 across the country and factored in their education levels, number of connections, and health, to see which youth are faring the best and worst.
The study determined that the three states where young people are the most at risk are Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. The three states where young people are least at risk are Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.
Newsweek has contacted the offices of the Governors of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico for comment.
Why It Matters
Without schooling or steady employment, young people can find themselves in cycles of poverty.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said that stagnant youth pose a danger to the "future economic and social prospect" of their state.
One option for unemployed and undereducated young people can be the military, but a 2022 study from the Pentagon found that 77 percent of young Americans are ineligible to serve due to their weight, drug use, or mental and/or physical health.
A recruiter with the Orlando Utilities Commission, center, talks with a job seeker during the 24th Mayor's Job Fair, featuring over 80 companies looking to fill open positions at the Orange County Fairgrounds, Wednesday, Jan....
A recruiter with the Orlando Utilities Commission, center, talks with a job seeker during the 24th Mayor's Job Fair, featuring over 80 companies looking to fill open positions at the Orange County Fairgrounds, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Orlando, Florida. More
Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP/Associated Press
What To Know
Researchers determined that Louisiana is the state with the most at-risk youth, as 16.6 percent of people aged 18-24 in the state are not working and are not obtaining education beyond a high school degree. This is the highest percentage of unemployed youth not in school in the country.
This, combined with the 13.9 percent of Louisiana youth without a high school degree, and the second-highest youth poverty rate and third-highest teen birth rate in the country, has resulted in conditions that make it difficult for young people in Louisiana to improve their financial status, determined WalletHub researchers.
Youth in Oklahoma were determined to be the second most at-risk by WalletHub due to their unemployment rate of 14.4 percent. They are also not reaching educational standards in school, as only 17 percent of eighth graders in the state are demonstrating math proficiency, and only 20 percent of eighth graders are proficient at an eighth-grade reading level, according to WalletHub.
New Hampshire youth, who are seen as the least at-risk in the country by WalletHub, were determined by researchers to be the least disconnected from school or employment and have the lowest youth poverty rates in the country.
Many experts who spoke with WalletHub about their findings discussed the gap between rural and urban youth.
Kent Bausman, professor of Sociology at Bausman University, discussed the "broadband divide" between rural and urban populations, saying that remote work needs to be made more available to rural youth, and said that transportation access needs to be improved between rural and urban areas to more easily facilitate travel to internships and jobs.
Jacqueline Yahn, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, Ohio University, told WalletHub that people often focus on mobility outside of rural areas, but do not invest inside the rural areas themselves, making it difficult for young people to build up their lives in the area they're from.
What People Are Saying
Kent Bausman, professor of Sociology at Bausman University, told WalletHub: "As the world continues to shift toward telework and remote employment opportunities, it is incumbent for policymakers to bridge this broadband divide so that young rural individuals are not left behind. Bridging this broadband divide would also increase rural residents' opportunities to attend school online for degree completions or certifications, strengthening their competitive position in the labor market and generating new social connections beyond their immediate geography."
Jacqueline V Lerner, Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology at Boston College, told WalletHub: "Policies that fund programs for youth to become involved in gaining life skills and leadership opportunities would enable more youth who have become disconnected to succeed."
What Happens Next
Louisiana's state government has the Louisiana Youth for Excellence program, which enters schools to teach young people about life skills and leadership.
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