By Noah Alcala Bach, Albuquerque Journal
June 11, 2025
New Mexico has once again been ranked the worst state in the country for child well-being, according to the newest annual Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count data book.
The study, which utilizes data from 2023, focuses on four categories: economic well-being, education, health and family and community. The most recent study marks the fifth consecutive year in which New Mexico has earned the 50th spot.
Among the four categories, the state came in last for education and family and community; 49th for economic well-being; and 46th for health.
Those results reflect a marked lack in progress over the five years since the state received a 2018 landmark ruling that its public education department was violating students’ constitutional rights with the quality of instruction provided — and a subsequent April ruling that it had not done enough to improve.
The Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) remains mired in controversy. The state also has one of the lowest average median household incomes in the U.S., and while the state has the second-richest sovereign wealth fund in the nation and has, in recent years, markedly spent more on education, those efforts have yet to yield discernible dividends.
New Mexico’s lackluster rankings don’t surprise Daniel Crespin, a father of eight who lives in the International District and works part-time as a plumber, allowing him to spend more time at home caring for his children.
Read more at the Albuquerque Journal