Mississippi worst state for babies for third straight year: report

Date:2025-08-06 00:55:32 Category:US Views:1 Comment:0

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi’s overall health outcomes are among the country’s worst, but an annual report showed that this is again the case for children.

For adults, health outcomes are already a serious issue. For instance, depending on your zip code, the average Mississippian lives between 65 and 78 years on average. But for too many children, a long life or a good quality of life are things they are not often able to enjoy. For the third year in a row, WalletHub ranked Mississippi as the worst place for having a baby nationally.

A recent ADP report revealed that Mississippi had the second-lowest wage growth over the last year. Despite being tied with having the lowest median annual pay, it has the 28th highest costs for raising a child. Considering that the state has the third-highest share of families living in poverty, these costs likely hit especially hard for many Mississippians.

Mississippi infants most vulnerable to rotavirus: report

The state ranked as having the 16th most child day care services per capita and the 14th lowest child day care costs nationally. However, the state has the 13th-worst quality day care, according to WalletHub.

For families, the healthcare environment is among the country’s worst. It ranked Mississippi 50th out of all states and Washington. It has the country’s highest infant mortality rate, which is triple the rate of the state with the lowest rate. Put another way, the state has the highest share of children who do not make it to their first birthday.

Mississippi currently has the third fewest pediatricians per capita nationally. Additionally, over half of the state’s counties do not have an ob-gyn. However, not all outcomes for the state’s children are negative.

The state went from being ranked the second-worst state in 2013 for fourth-grade reading to 21st in 2022. A report from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) suggested that recent education gains may not have been a fluke. NIEER announced that Mississippi was one of five states that met all 10 of its benchmarks for preschool.

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now