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Tri-State Area residents generally think of the region as being a fantastic place for children to grow up. But perception does not always match reality, as WalletHub's 2025's States With the Most Underprivileged Children suggests.
West Virginia is ranked sixth, Ohio is ranked 18th and Pennsylvania is ranked 35th on the list of states with the most underprivileged children. That West Virginia and Ohio rank in the lower half is reason for concern.
But a look at the metrics tells the tale.
Ohio is 16th for the percentage of children in households below the poverty line, 26th for the percentage of maltreated children, 12th for child food-insecurity rate, 26th for the percentage of uninsured children, 20th for the percentage of children in foster care, 12th for the percentage of children in single-parent families, 27th for the child and youth homelessness rate and an absolutely shameful sixth for infant mortality rate.
West Virginia, meanwhile is fifth for the percentage of children in households below the poverty line, seventh for the percentage of maltreated children, eighth for child food-insecurity rate, 45th for the percentage of uninsured children, first for percentage of children in foster care, 21st for the percentage of children in single-parent families, 19th for the child and youth homelessness rate and 26th for infant mortality.
Pennsylvania is 21st for the percentage of children in households below the poverty line, 50th for the percentage of maltreated children, 33rd for child food-insecurity rate, 24th for the percentage of uninsured children, 32nd for percentage of children in foster care, 17th for the percentage of children in single-parent families, 30th for the child and youth homelessness rate and 29th for infant mortality.
For comparison, New Mexico ranked first (worst) in the study; Connecticut was best.
Why area states aren't doing a better job at tackling the infant mortality problem remains a mystery.
But surely there are ways to work toward improving all these measures for our children.
"Programs that are most effective at equalizing opportunity focus on both structural and interpersonal or relational support," said Cristina Mogor-Wilson, a professor at the University of Connecticut. "High-quality early childhood education, access to comprehensive health care, food security initiatives and family-focused case management programs have strong evidence behind them. Culturally grounded, community-based services that build trust and empower families are particularly effective for communities of color and immigrant families. Importantly, interventions are most successful when they simultaneously support children and their caregivers and involve them in the co-creation of interventions."
That last bit is important. We'll improve conditions for our children if we improve the quality of life and opportunity for the adults in their lives.
For too many children, growing up is a struggle for survival. No one wants to think about that, but if the challenges are ignored -- if we fail these kids -- it is a stain on not just their future, but on everyone.