27 States With the Most Alarming Infant Mortality Rates
Infant mortality and maternal death are issues that plague the U.S. more than nearly any other developed country in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 22,000 infants died in the United States in 2017, with an infant mortality rate of 5.8 deaths per 1,000 live births. America’s higher infant mortality rate is a result of weak social assistance programs, including the absence of a public healthcare system, as well as higher poverty rates and major racial disparities.
The root of the problem is poverty — the poorer the baby’s biological mother is, the more likely she is to be a teenager and to be unmarried, with little support. A poor mother also means that the baby is more likely to be born premature and have a low birthweight — major secondary factors related to infant mortality. Poverty also means less preventative care for pregnant mothers and infants, which contributes to more complicated pregnancies and complications for the baby after birth, including malnutrition.
The Facts
We used information from the CDC to determine the states with the highest infant mortality rate and the reasons behind it. Note, the states with the highest infant mortality rates were, by and large, in the southern U.S. and had large black populations and high poverty rates.
But overall, regardless of region and of poverty rate, some states with relatively low poverty rates still had high infant mortality rates due to issues of racial disparity and distribution of socio-economic resources related to those glaring racial disparities. Infants with the highest death rate were black (11.4), followed by Native Americans (9.4), Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (7.4), Latino (5.0), non-Hispanic white (4.9) and then Asian (3.6). For the teen birth rate, the data was restricted to the number of live births per 1,000 females aged 15-19. For our data on poverty, we used the statistics provided by TalkPoverty.org, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of poverty in the U.S. The poverty line is defined as $24,860 for a family of four people, and the ranking includes all 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
With this data in mind, here’s the list of the 27 states with the most alarming infant mortality rates, ranked from lowest to highest.
27. Utah
Texas, Utah and Virginia all tied in the 25th spot on this list, with 5.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, which is why we used the poverty rank to break the tie. Utah, for instance, has a low poverty rate, ranking No. 6 in the country.
Despite a decline in infant mortality over the past two decades, infant mortality has been on the rise in Utah for the past three years. Racial and economic disparities are to blame for the state’s high infant mortality rate when compared with its low poverty rate. Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander babies were at higher risk of death.
26. Virginia
Virginia ranks 27th in the country for preterm birth rates, 36th for its teen birth rate and is tied with Texas for 23rd for low birthweight rates.
Again, despite a relatively low poverty rate, racial disparity and its socio-economic consequences are to blame for Virginia’s high infant mortality rate, especially since it comes in at No. 11 with a fairly decent poverty rate.
25. Texas
Texas is seventh in the country for its teen birth rate, 12th for its preterm birth rate and tied for 23rd for its rate of low birthweight rate.
And its poverty rate is not so great, ranking No. 38 in the country.
24. Kansas
Next on the list is Kansas. It's 26th in the country for preterm birth rates, 20th in the country for its teen birth rate and 37th for low birthweight rates.
Kansas is 21st in the nation for its poverty rate.
23. Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is 32nd in the country for preterm birth rates, tied for 38th in the country for its teen birth rate and tied for 23rd for low birthweight rates.
Pennsylvania comes in at 23rd in the nation for its poverty rate.
22. Illinois
Illinois is 17th in the country for preterm birth rates, 29th in the country for its teen birth rate and 21st for low birthweight rates.
Illinois is 24th in the nation for its poverty rate.
21. Florida
Florida is tied for 21st in the country for preterm birth rates, 27th in the country for its teen birth rate and tied for 15th for low birthweight rates.
Florida is 34th in the nation for its poverty rate.
20. Rhode Island
The state on the northeastern seaboard ranks 49th in the country for preterm birth rates, 45th in the country for its teen birth rate and is tied for 33rd for low birthweight rates.
Rhode Island comes in at No. 20 nationwide for its poverty rate.
19. Missouri
Missouri is 13th in the country for preterm birth rates, 14th in the country for its teen birth rate and tied for 18th for low birthweight rates.
Missouri comes in at No. 30 for its poverty rate.
18. Maryland
This northeastern state is 15th in the country for preterm birth rates, 40th in the country for its teen birth rate and 14th for low birthweight rates.
Maryland defies the theory of poverty linking to low birth rates, as it has the second-lowest poverty rate in the country, after New Hampshire. Maryland’s high infant mortality rate is directly related to questions of racial disparity, where black infants died at a rate that was 2.5 times higher than white infants in 2014.
17. Wisconsin
Wisconsin is 25th in the country for preterm birth rates, 41st in the country for its teen birth rate and 32nd for low birthweight rates.
Wisconsin comes in at No. 18 in the country for its poverty rate. Similar to Maryland, Wisconsin’s high infant mortality rate is a result of racial disparity. In 2018, the state had the highest infant mortality rate for African American babies in the U.S.
16. South Carolina
This southern state is seventh in the country for preterm birth rates, 19th in the country for its teen birth rate and fifth for low birthweight rates.
South Carolina is No. 42 in the country for its poverty rate.
15. Kentucky
Kentucky is ninth in the country for preterm birth rates, fifth in the country for its teen birth rate and tied for 15th with the state of Michigan for low birthweight rates.
Kentucky is No. 47 in the country for its poverty rate.
14. Delaware
According to the CDC, Delaware is tied for 21st in the country for preterm birth rates, 13th in low birthweight rates as well as 26th in the country for its teen birth rate.
Delaware comes in at No. 32 for its poverty rate, nationwide.
13. Michigan
Michigan is 20th in the country for preterm birth rates, 30th in the country for its teen birth rate and tied with Kentucky for 15th in low birthweight rates.
Michigan is ranked 36th in the nation for its poverty rate.
12. West Virginia
West Virginia is fourth in the country for preterm birth rates, eighth in the country for its teen birth rate and tied for sixth place for low birthweight rates.
West Virginia is ranked 48th in the country for its poverty rate.
11. North Carolina
North Carolina is 14th in the country for preterm birth rates, 23rd in the country for its teen birth rate and eighth for low birthweight rates.
North Carolina comes in at 37th in the U.S. for its poverty rate.
10. Louisiana
The stats coming from Louisiana are bleak. It is the second in the country for preterm birth rates, fourth in the country for its teen birth rate and second for low birthweight rates.
Louisiana has the second-highest poverty rate in the U.S. after Mississippi (50th place).
9. Ohio
Ohio is 18th in the country for preterm birth rates, 22nd in the country for its teen birth rate and tied for 18th in low birthweight rates.
Ohio ranks 33rd in the U.S. for its poverty rate.
8. Georgia
According to the CDC, Georgia is fifth in the country for preterm birth rates, tied for 17th in the country for its teen birth rate and fourth for low birthweight rates.
Georgia comes in at 40th in the U.S. for its poverty rate.
7. Indiana
This Midwestern state is 24th in the country for preterm birth rates, 12th in the country for its teen birth rate and sixth for low birthweight rates.
Indiana has the 31st highest poverty rate in the U.S.
6. Tennessee
The information for Tennessee for preterm birth rates, teen birth rates and low birthweight rates was unavailable from the CDC.
However, Tennessee comes in at 41st in the U.S. for its poverty rate.
5. Alabama
According to the CDC, Alabama is third in the country for preterm birth rates and low birthweight rates, as well as the ninth in the country for its teen birth rate.
Alabama comes in at 46th in the country for its poverty rate.
4. South Dakota
South Dakota is 33rd in the country for preterm birth rates, 13th in the country for its teen birth rate and tied for 42nd in low birthweight rates.
South Dakota comes in at 27th in the country for its poverty rate.
3. Oklahoma
Oklahoma is 10th in the country for preterm birth rates, third in the country for its teen birth rate, and 27th for low birthweight rates.
Oklahoma is ranked 43rd in the country for its poverty rate.
2. Arkansas
According to the CDC, Arkansas is sixth in the country for preterm birth rates, ninth for low birthweight rates as well as first in the country for the teen birth rate.
Arkansas is ranked No. 44 in the country for its poverty rate.
1. Mississippi
Mississippi is first in the country for preterm birth rates, third in the country for its teen birth rate, and first for low birthweight rates.
Mississippi also has the highest poverty rate in the U.S., with 19.8 percent of people living at or below the poverty line (again, that's $24,860 for a family of four people). It ranks 51st out of 50 states plus Washington D.C.