Mississippi’s active public health emergency over rising infant deaths is even more urgent following the release of a study showing the state has the highest preterm birth rate in the U.S.

March of Dimes, a nonprofit focused on ending preventable maternal and infant health risks, released its annual report card Monday. Based on 2024 numbers, the country as a whole received a D+ grade with a national preterm birth of 10.4%, meaning nearly 380,000 babies were born too soon last year. Mississippi received an F grade with a preterm birth rate of 15%. Stark racial disparities were also highlighted in the study with Black babies in Mississippi 1.5 times more likely to be preterm than all other babies.

Other states to get F grades were Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Kent

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