Having a baby is a beautiful—and also expensive and possibly stressful—thing. WalletHub analyzed all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, on 30 factors related to cost (on average, the cost of a conventional delivery in the US is more than $10,000, but some states are pricier than others—and once the baby has arrived, cost of living plays a role, too); health care (things like the number of providers per capita, the rate of preterm births, the share of kids who've gotten all of the recommended vaccines, the quality of neonatology services at the state's hospitals, and much more); baby friendliness (factors like parental leave policies, mom groups, and child care centers); and family friendliness. Read on for the states that came out on the top—and the bottom. The 10 best, plus their scores on a 100-point scale:
- Vermont, 68.0
- Massachusetts, 67.5
- North Dakota, 65.8
- Rhode Island, 65.0
- Minnesota, 64.6
- New Hampshire, 64.2
- Washington, 59.8
- Colorado, 58.0
- Connecticut, 57.2
- Utah, 56.3
And the 10 worst:
- Mississippi, 25.5
- Alabama, 26.5
- South Carolina, 28.5
- Louisiana, 29.8
- Oklahoma, 31.9
- Georgia, 32.1
- Arkansas, 34.0
- Nevada, 35.3
- Florida, 35.4
- West Virginia, 35.8
Click through for the
complete list. (Looking for the best cities to raise a family?
Here they are.)
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