People in Louisiana are used to being at the top of the list for a lot of things: food, music, festivals, and of course the friendliest citizens around. But a new report from the folks at Wallethub has us on top with something that really makes us kind of ashamed. Louisiana has been deemed the #1 state for at-risk youth. We know that growing up is hard, and especially during these trying times that we are just emerging from. But Louisiana, we can do so much better.

According to the Wallethub website, here is how the criteria was compiled."To determine the places where young Americans 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. Data ranges from the share of disconnected youth to the labor force participation rate among youth to the youth poverty rate." You can find more info about the report here, but some of the biggest factors are listed below. It's pretty discouraging, as far as our young Louisianians go.

    • Education and Employment: The amount of youth aged 18-24 who are not attending school, not working and have no degree beyond a high school diploma. Those who have no high school diploma, and those who performed at or above the 8th-grade math and 8th-grade reading levels determined by the National Assessment of Educational Progress
    • Those who are in the labor force (aged 16-24)
    • Poverty
    • Teen Pregnancy
    • Homelessness
    • Youth are in the Foster Care Program
    • Youths who are detained, incarcerated or placed in residential facilities
    • Overall Health Factors: These include those youth over age 12 that have not been fully vaccinated, those who use illicit drugs, those who drink alcohol, those who experience depression, and those that are mentally and emotionally inhibited.

 

 

 

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