States with the Most At-Risk Youth

Growing up can be hard. Without a stable home, positive role models and tools for success, many young people in the U.S. fall behind their peers and experience a rocky transition to adulthood. Unfortunately, 13% of individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 are neither working nor attending school. Others suffer from poor health conditions that hinder their ability to develop physically or socially.

Such issues not only affect young people later in life, but they also prove harmful to society as a whole. For instance, at least 77% of young adults today are ineligible to join the U.S. military because they fail academic, moral or health qualifications. In addition, research shows that when youth grow up in environments with economic problems and a lack of role models, they’re more at risk for poverty, early pregnancy and violence, especially in adulthood. The environment is even more difficult for these young poeple in 2025, with high inflation and other economic difficulties.

To determine the places where young people are not faring as well as others in the same age group, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 15 key indicators of youth risk. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of youth risk.

The data set ranged from the share of disconnected youth to the labor force participation rate among youth to the youth poverty rate.

In terms of the data outcomes:

Main Findings

States with the Most At-Risk Youth

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	Education & Employment Rank	Health Rank
1	Louisiana	66.05	2	8
2	Oklahoma	66.00	4	4
3	New Mexico	65.80	3	7
4	South Dakota	62.73	14	2
5	Arkansas	61.61	7	5
6	District of Columbia	60.85	6	9
7	Mississippi	59.17	1	45
8	West Virginia	58.63	8	14
9	Nevada	57.96	5	24
10	Alaska	57.95	9	16
11	Alabama	57.30	10	11
12	Tennessee	54.04	17	10
13	South Carolina	53.48	16	19
14	Oregon	53.34	12	20
15	Kentucky	52.11	15	26
16	Maine	51.97	41	1
17	Georgia	50.13	11	40
18	Montana	50.00	29	6
19	Ohio	49.76	22	13
20	Washington	49.29	23	15
21	Texas	48.92	13	39
22	Vermont	47.48	45	3
23	Missouri	47.38	24	22
24	Delaware	46.83	28	23
25	Kansas	46.74	30	21
26	Arizona	46.74	18	38
27	Idaho	46.46	21	33
28	Indiana	45.24	27	31
29	Michigan	45.10	32	28
30	Wyoming	44.83	26	35
31	Florida	44.55	19	42
32	Illinois	44.02	35	25
33	Virginia	43.68	36	27
34	New York	41.74	25	43
35	Hawaii	41.72	20	46
36	Rhode Island	39.41	48	12
37	Pennsylvania	38.78	37	37
38	Massachusetts	38.77	47	18
39	California	38.62	31	48
40	Colorado	38.61	40	36
41	Wisconsin	38.06	42	34
42	Iowa	37.97	43	29
43	North Carolina	37.30	33	47
44	North Dakota	35.89	44	32
45	Maryland	35.74	34	50
46	Utah	35.64	39	44
47	Nebraska	33.87	38	49
48	Connecticut	33.63	50	30
49	Minnesota	33.14	46	41
50	New Hampshire	30.96	51	17
51	New Jersey	23.38	49	51

The States With the Most At-Risk Youth

Louisiana

Louisiana is the state with the most at-risk youth, largely because it has the highest share of people ages 18 to 24 who are not attending school or working and have no degree beyond high school. This represents 16.6% of young adults in the state.

In addition, Louisiana has the fourth-highest share of people ages 18 to 24 without a high school diploma, at 13.9%. For comparison, the lowest percentage of any state is around half that amount.

To add to these problems, Louisiana has the second-highest youth poverty rate and the third-highest teen birth rate in the country, both of which make it increasingly difficult for young people to improve their financial status.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma has the second-most at-risk youth in the country, and 14.4% of people ages 18 to 24 in the state have no high school diploma, the second-highest percentage in the country. Oklahoma also has the fifth-highest rate of young who are not attending school or working and have no degree beyond high school.

In addition, youth in Oklahoma are below-level in their education. Only 17% of eighth-graders demonstrate proficiency in math, and just 20% do so in reading, the second–lowest percentages in the country.

Finally, Oklahoma has the third-highest rate of young adults who are limited in any activities because of physical, mental, or emotional problems, at over 30%.

New Mexico

New Mexico has the third-most at-risk youth, and one of its biggest issues is that it has the highest share of people ages 18 to 24 who don’t have a high school diploma, at 15.5%, which severely limits their earning potential and hireability.

One reason why so many youth drop out of school in New Mexico is likely the fact that the state has poor performance overall when it comes to education. Only 14% of eighth graders in the state perform at or above proficiency level for math, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and only 19% do so for reading.

Many young adults in New Mexico are not doing well physically, either, as 55% are overweight or obese, the third-highest rate in the nation.