One in nine young Americans are either unemployed our out of school across the United States. Those two factors expose these young people to a greater risk of lifetime poverty, or criminal activity.

The personal finance website WalletHub.com recently spent a lot of time researching At-Risk Youths in America, and with the help of a team filled with experts, they were able to determine which states in the US have the biggest problems with At-Risk Youth. Topping their nationwide list for 2019, is Louisiana.

Source: WalletHub

When the ratings are broken down, Louisiana leads the nation in two key metrics, Highest Percentage of Disconnected Youth and Highest Percentage of Youth Without a High School Diploma. The state is also in the Top 5 for Lowest Youth Labor Force Participation Rate, where it lands at #5.

This is not a new phenomenon either. WalletHub tracked these metrics back to 2009. They found that between 2009 and 2017, Louisiana was one of the 5 worst states for the Share of Population 18-24 Not Attending School, Not Working Full Time, or Have No Degree Beyond High School 7 times. Including a run at the top (or bottom) since 2013.

For this study, WalletHub's team included Jennifer L. Bellamy Ph.D., MSSW – Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, Rigaud Joseph MSW, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, School of Social Work/College of Behavioral Sciences, California State University, San Bernardino, Lorri McMeel Ph.D., LCSW – Assistant Professor of Social Work/ Undergraduate Program Director, Lewis University, and Ashley Palmer Ph.D., LMSW – Senior Research Assistant, University of Kansas School of Social Welfare.

The team reviewed 15 key metrics to compile their data, with some indicators factoring in more than others. The main focus was on "Share of Disconnected Youth", "Share of Youth with No High School Diploma", "Youth Poverty Rate", and "Labor Force Participation Rate Among Youth".

More From Hot 107.9