ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Three Southwestern states are ranked near the bottom when it comes to child well-being, with New Mexico the lowest among its neighbors.

The annual Kids Count report released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks New Mexico 49th, ahead of only Mississippi. Louisiana, Nevada and Arizona fill in the rest of the five lowest rankings.

The report considers numerous measures such as poverty rates, reading proficiency and teen birth rates, and the map of 2017 rankings show clear regional patterns where states in the northeastern part of the country are leading the way...