In today’s polarizing political climate, the word “privilege” has developed negative connotations for certain groups of people. But the reality is that just because people live in the United States does not mean that everyone has the same privileges and opportunities as others.

According to the Children’s Defense Fund, one in six children in the United States lives in poverty and every 54 seconds a child in America is abused or neglected. That means nearly 20 percent of children in the United States are considered “underprivileged.”

WalletHub research analysts wanted to find out which states have the most disadvantaged children. Their team used 25 metrics to categorize the conditions for raising children in each state into these three categories:

*Socioeconomic welfare
*Education
*Health

How does New Jersey compare to other states in terms of environmental conditions for children?

WalletHub analysts’ research concluded that New Jersey is one of the best states in the U.S. for raising children. New Jersey has the fewest children in foster care in America and the lowest percentage of abused children.

New Jersey also has the second lowest child nutrition rate in the United States and has the third lowest infant mortality rate. Overall, New Jersey is considered one of the best states for children, and only one of its neighboring states comes even close.

Of the three states bordering New Jersey, Delaware is one of the states, along with the Garden State, with the fewest numbers of disadvantaged children. Delaware has the fifth best educational attainment in the United States and the third fewest children in foster care.

Both Pennsylvania and New York rank in the middle of WalletHub’s ranking of states with the most disadvantaged children. The Keystone State has a mediocre grade for education and the Empire State has a poor score for socioeconomic well-being.

Here are the ten states with the most disadvantaged children in America:

1. West Virginia
2. Alaska
3. Mississippi
4. New Mexico
5. Oklahoma
6. Arkansas
7. Louisiana
8. Montana
9th District of Columbia
10. Arizona

Speaking of New Jersey’s positive ratings in education, here’s a breakdown of the most efficient school districts in the Garden State: