Having a baby should be a joyful occasion, but the rising costs in some states may make it harder for some households to start a family, according to a report.
Personal finance site WalletHub recently conducted a study that analyzed 31 key measures, including the costs of giving birth, accessibility to health care, and other factors across all 50 US states to determine the best and worst places in the country to start a family.
Each location was then given a score. States with scores closest to 100 were found to have the best conditions for parents and infants.
"The best states for having a baby minimize costs while providing top-notch care for both newborns and their mothers," WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe wrote in the study. "They also continue to be good environments for parents even long after the birth, with high-quality pediatric care, affordable and accessible child care and a strong economic environment that makes providing for a child easier."
Best States To Have a Baby
1. Massachusetts
Total Score: 73.12
Cost Rank: 41
Health Care Rank: 2
WalletHub ranked Massachusetts as the top state to start a family. This is largely due to Massachusetts having the lowest infant mortality rate in the country and the fourth-lowest maternal mortality rate.
In addition, Massachusetts had the sixth-lowest share of households with infants suffering from food insecurity and the seventh-highest share of children under the age of three with all recommended vaccines.
2. North Dakota
Total Score: 68.80
Cost Rank: 3
Health Care Rank: 5
North Dakota follows Massachusetts as the second-best state to have a baby due to having low hospital conventional-delivery charges. Mothers who do not encounter complications during delivery would only have to pay an average of $7,500. In comparison, conventional delivery with no complications can cost as much as $27,000 in some states.
3. Minnesota
Total Score: 68.22
Cost Rank: 23
Health Care Rank: 4
Minnesota is the third-best state to start a family. The state offers high-quality health care and has a large amount of medical professionals, including obstetricians, gynecologists, and pediatricians. Furthermore, Minnesota has the second-highest share of nationally accredited child-care centers.
4. Rhode Island
Total Score: 67.86
Cost Rank: 40
Health Care Rank: 1
5. New Hampshire
Total Score: 66.12
Cost Rank: 1
Health Care Rank: 6
Worst States To Have a Baby
1. Mississippi
Total Score: 28.58
Cost Rank: 28
Health Care Rank: 51
Mississippi ranked as the worst state to start a family. Mississippi has the highest infant mortality rate in the country and some of the least midwives and obstetrician-gynecologist per capita.
2. Alabama
Total Score: 30.68
Cost Rank: 37
Health Care Rank: 48
3. South Carolina
Total Score: 35.13
Cost Rank: 38
Health Care Rank: 37
4. New Mexico
Total Score: 36.55
Cost Rank: 30
Health Care Rank: 34
5. Georgia
Total Score: 38.28
Cost Rank: 27
Health Care Rank: 35
