Study ranks Arkansas sixth in nation for number of underprivileged children

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A recent study ranks Arkansas high in the nation for number of underprivileged children in the state.

The consumer finance site WalletHub study placed Arkansas as sixth out of 50 states and the District of Columbia for children with limited access to such things as nutritious meals, quality health care and a secure home life.

The study’s authors looked at 25 key metrics broken down across three ranking categories — health, socio-economic welfare and education — to develop a final score.

Arkansas ranked especially poorly in health, which measured such things as the share of mistreated children, infant mortality rate and child food insecurity rate, leaving the state just off the bottom with a ranking of two out of 51.

A telling statistic here is that Arkansas ranks third in the nation for its infant mortality rate and second for child food insecurity rate.