Kids are one of the most valuable things in the world, and their innocence is often one of the few things that make this world a better place. Each kid deserves to be loved, taken care of, and given a chance to succeed in life. When looking around at some of the people in this world, it is easy to forget that we all once were innocent children, and all we wanted to do was play, laugh, and run around. Times change and many of us lose sight of that. Different aspects can play into how we turn out, based on how we are raised, our family life, our friends, and the decisions we make. Not every child is given the same opportunities. Some thrive and are wealthy, while others struggle and are underprivileged. Where you live can play a factor in this. How does Idaho compare to other states when it comes to underprivileged children?

States with the Most and Least Underprivileged Children

Credit: olesiabilkei
Credit: olesiabilkei
loading...

Some states struggle more with poverty and it leads to kids being underprivileged to no fault of their own. A list recently released by WalletHub ranked the states with the most underprivileged kids to the least. The way they determined this was by looking at three main categories, which include education, health, and socio-economic welfare. With this criteria, it was determined that Mississippi has the most underprivileged kids in the United States. They are number one in health, number two in socio-economic welfare, and seven in education. This is not a list you want to be in the top ten. The state with the second most underprivileged kids is West Virginia, followed by Alaska to make up the top three. The state with the least is New Jersey. They have slightly fewer than Utah, which is just less than Connecticut, to round out the three with the least amount of underprivileged kids.

Does Idaho Have Too Many Underprivileged Kids?

Credit: Charlein Gracia on Unsplash
Credit: Charlein Gracia on Unsplash
loading...

While every state has families and children that are underprivileged, Idaho does not have as many as most states. Idaho comes in on the list at 36, but what makes us interesting is the categories. Idaho ranks 50 out of a possible 51 in socio-economic welfare. While Idaho is good there, we did, unfortunately, rank fourth in education. From one extreme to the other, in two categories, Idaho fell at 26 in health. One other interesting stat was that Idaho ranks as the second-fewest single-parent homes out of any state, only having less than Utah. Congratulations on keeping families together Idaho.

95.7 KEZJ logo
Get our free mobile app

Underprivileged kids need our help and shouldn't suffer because they were dealt a bad hand. Fortunately for the state of Idaho, there aren't as many as there are in other states. Education needs an improvement here, but there is much more going right than wrong. Keeping a family together is a huge part of a child's life, assuming there aren't any significant issues in the family. Sometimes a child may not have everything, but loving your children is the most important part and what they need the most. The rest will work itself out, but being there is what matters most. Help those in need if you can, but mostly keep doing what you are doing Idaho. 

Check Out Mary Alice Park in Twin Falls, ID

Mary Alice is an easily missed park, hidden in Twin Falls, but it should definitely not be missed if you want to visit the most magical park in town.

Twin Falls 'Rocks'

Painted rocks from around Twin Falls.

More From 95.7 KEZJ