Missouri Ranks 19th Of States With The Most “At-Risk” Youth

With national figures showing that 13-percent oof individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 neither working nor attending school, WalletHub.com did a study of the states with the most at-risk youth.

15 key indicators were used for the study which included education and employment and health.

Missouri was ranked 19^th in the study which also included the District of Columbia.

States with the least at-risk youth, according to the personal finance website, are Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey while states with the most at-risk states are Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

More info:

With 13% of young Americans neither working nor in school, the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its report on the States with the Most At-Risk Youth in 2026, to identify the places where more effort is needed to help young adults succeed.

WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 15 key indicators of youth risk. The data set ranges from the share of disconnected youth to the labor force participation rate among young adults to the youth poverty rate.

Key Stats

• Louisiana, Mississippi and Nevada have the highest share of disconnected youth, which is 2.9 times higher than in New Hampshire, the lowest.
• New Mexico has the highest share of youth without a high school diploma, which is two times higher than in Hawaii, the lowest.
• Arkansas has the highest share of overweight or obese youth, which is 1.7 times higher than in Massachusetts, the lowest.
• Maine has the highest share of youth using drugs in the past month, which is 2.7 times higher than in Alabama, the lowest.
• Oregon has the highest share of homeless youth, which is 29.5 times higher than in Mississippi, the lowest.

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-most-at-risk-youth/37280