Study: Louisiana ranks worst for at-risk youth due to poverty, dropouts

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A new report from WalletHub ranks Louisiana as the worst state in the country for at-risk youth in 2025.

WalletHub compared all 50 states and Washington, D.C., using 15 factors to measure how young people are doing.

According to the study, Louisiana has the highest percentage of young people aged 18 to 24 who are not in school, not working, and have only a high school education. This group, called “disconnected youth,” makes up 16.6% of young adults in the state.

Louisiana has the fourth-highest share of youth without a high school diploma at 13.9%. It also has the second-highest youth poverty rate in the U.S. Louisiana also ranks third for teen birth rate and seventh for overweight and obese youth, according to the study.

WalletHub ranked Louisiana:

• 1st in disconnected youth.
• 2nd in youth poverty.
• 4th in youth labor force participation.
• 7th in the lack of high school diplomas.
• 7th in overweight/obese youth.

“A high share of youth who are not working, not getting education and generally stagnating in life can spell trouble for the future. States that are most impacted by this problem, as well as related issues like high youth poverty rates, widespread drug use and low test scores, need a wake-up call to invest more into improving conditions for young residents. Otherwise, the future economic and social progress of the state is in danger,” said Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst.

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