From medical costs to the safest car seats, parents-to-be make dozens of decisions about their family’s future every day. But when it comes to giving birth, what state is the best for new parents? WalletHub recently released their findings that compared 32 key measures, from cost to healthcare accessibility to baby- and family-friendliness. Read on for the findings and to see where your state falls on the list.
Photo: Jason Sung via Unsplash
WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia to evaluate four key components: 1. Cost, 2. Healthcare, 3. Baby-friendliness and 4. Family-friendliness. They broke it down further by evaluating each category using 32 relevant metrics like average insurance premiums, cost of newborn screening, quality of women’s hospitals, parental-leave policy score, and childcare centers per capita (check out all metrics here). Below are their findings:
Best States to Have a Baby:
1. Massachusetts
2. Minnesota
3. Vermont
4. North Dakota
5. Rhode Island
Worst States to Have a Baby:
1. Alabama
2. South Carolina
3. Mississippi
4. Louisiana
5. Georgia
Direct from WalletHub, here are some more interesting findings:
Mississippi has the lowest average annual cost for early child care, $4,060, which is 3.9 times lower than in the District of Columbia, the highest at $15,860.
Alaska has the lowest share of childbirths with low birth weight, 5.85 percent, which is 2.1 times lower than in Mississippi, the highest at 12.12 percent.
The District of Columbia has the most obstetricians and gynecologists (per 100,000 residents), 26, which is 13 times more than in Louisiana, the fewest at 2.
Massachusetts has the highest parental leave policy score, 160, while 9 states, such as Alabama, Michigan and South Dakota, tie for the lowest at 0.
—Erin Lem
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