With 13% of young Americans neither working nor in school, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the States with the Most At-Risk Youth in 2024, as well as expert commentary, 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.
| States with the Most At-Risk Youth | States with the Least At-Risk Youth | |
| 1. Louisiana | 42. Massachusetts | |
| 2. New Mexico | 43. Maryland | |
| 3. West Virginia | 44. Hawaii | |
| 4. Alaska | 45. Utah | |
| 5. Arkansas | 46. Connecticut | |
| 6. Oklahoma | 47. Virginia | |
| 7. Mississippi | 48. Iowa | |
| 8. Montana | 49. Illinois | |
| 9. Wyoming | 50. New Hampshire | |
| 10. Oregon | 51. New Jersey |
Key Stats
- Louisiana has the highest share of disconnected youth, which is 3.4 times higher than in the District of Columbia, the lowest.
- New Mexico has the highest share of youth without a high school diploma, which is 2.1 times higher than in Hawaii, the lowest.
- West Virginia has the highest share of overweight or obese youth, which is 1.6 times higher than in New Hampshire, the lowest.
- Vermont has the highest share of youth using drugs in the past month, which is 2.1 times higher than in Alabama, the lowest.
- The District of Columbia has the highest share of homeless youth, which is 60 times higher than in Mississippi, the lowest.
