Jefferson County ranked 41st on the list with 21.8 percent. Tuscaloosa County ranked 33rd with 21.8 percent of its total children living in poverty. For example, in Cullman and Elmore Counties, only 17.7 percent of the children are living in poverty. Other states with high poverty levels among children include Arkansas at 24.6 percent, Mississippi at 28.1 percent, Louisiana at 28.7 percent, and New Mexico at 29.2 percent. The District of Columbia leads the nation, with 34.8 percent of children age 5-17 living in poverty.
Poor children are also less likely to have a family doctor to see when they are sick.
This means that when they are ill, they will most likely go to a hospital emergency room, the most expensive form of healthcare. Infant mortality rates in the first year are also higher among babies born to poor mothers. Poor mothers are more likely to have premature babies or babies with low birth weights. Poor children are more likely to have repeated a grade than children who are not living in poverty. Poor people are at greater risk of being evicted from their apartment than are the non-poor.