Maine is the state with the highest share of at-risk youth for health, according to a ranking published by WalletHub July 23.
The personal finance company compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 15 key indicators of youth risk, five of which were used to determine the state’s health rank: youth rates of overweight and obesity, illicit drug use, heavy drinking, depression, physical, and mental and emotional inhibition in youth. Each metric was assigned a weight and graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of youth risk. Combining these with 10 other indicators to determine each state’s education and employment rank, WalletHub assigned each state an overall score.
Louisiana had the highest overall score for at-risk youth at 66.05, followed by Oklahoma with a score of 66 and New Mexico with a score of 65.8.
Here are the 10 states with the highest scores for at-risk youth in health, along with their overall scores:
1. Maine: 51.97
2 South Dakota: 62.73
3. Vermont: 47.48
4. Oklahoma: 66
5. Arkansas: 61.61
6. Montana: 50
7. New Mexico: 65.8
8. Louisiana: 66.05
9. District of Columbia: 60.85
10. Tennessee: 54.04
