Best and worst states to have a baby
Having a baby isn't all teeny-tiny socks, adorable stuffed animals, and polka-dot onesies. Besides all the "aww"-inducing cuteness, there are plenty of real concerns for expectant parents—health and safety is chief among them. The United States has . The country's parental leave policies—or lack thereof—. The cost of raising children in America has and continues to grow. And those are just a few of the facts that parents must consider.
But within the United States, which states are safest for new parents and their babies? Using data from WalletHub, Â鶹Դ´ ranked all 50 states and Washington, D.C. from least to most baby-friendly. used 26 key indicators to score each state on cost, health care access, baby friendliness, and family friendliness. Indicators included hospital delivery charges, infant mortality rate, midwives and obstetrician-gynecologists per capita, parental leave policies, and birth rate.
Whether or not you're ready to start a family, this ranking of the best and worst states to have a baby may give you food for thought.
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#51. Mississippi
Total score: 23.16
Cost rank: #29
Health care rank: #50
Baby-friendliness rank: #44
Family-friendliness rank: #49
#50. Alabama
Total score: 25.28
Cost rank: #47
Health care rank: #46
Baby-friendliness rank: #50
Family-friendliness rank: #48
#49. South Carolina
Total score: 27.53
Cost rank: #34
Health care rank: #48
Baby-friendliness rank: #49
Family-friendliness rank: #44
#48. Louisiana
Total score: 30.57
Cost rank: #1
Health care rank: #51
Baby-friendliness rank: #32
Family-friendliness rank: #46
#47. Oklahoma
Total score: 31.93
Cost rank: #45
Health care rank: #41
Baby-friendliness rank: #23
Family-friendliness rank: #45
#46. West Virginia
Total score: 32.17
Cost rank: #10
Health care rank: #45
Baby-friendliness rank: #47
Family-friendliness rank: #47
#45. Georgia
Total score: 33.6
Cost rank: #23
Health care rank: #43
Baby-friendliness rank: #31
Family-friendliness rank: #42
#44. Arkansas
Total score: 33.69
Cost rank: #9
Health care rank: #49
Baby-friendliness rank: #26
Family-friendliness rank: #43
#43. New Mexico
Total score: 34.74
Cost rank: #16
Health care rank: #36
Baby-friendliness rank: #25
Family-friendliness rank: #50
#42. Nevada
Total score: 34.78
Cost rank: #33
Health care rank: #26
Baby-friendliness rank: #48
Family-friendliness rank: #41
#41. Tennessee
Total score: 35.26
Cost rank: #44
Health care rank: #47
Baby-friendliness rank: #15
Family-friendliness rank: #36
#40. North Carolina
Total score: 37.46
Cost rank: #30
Health care rank: #31
Baby-friendliness rank: #42
Family-friendliness rank: #38
#39. Florida
Total score: 37.99
Cost rank: #41
Health care rank: #40
Baby-friendliness rank: #28
Family-friendliness rank: #32
#38. Arizona
Total score: 39.12
Cost rank: #22
Health care rank: #25
Baby-friendliness rank: #38
Family-friendliness rank: #40
#37. Missouri
Total score: 40.22
Cost rank: #31
Health care rank: #39
Baby-friendliness rank: #43
Family-friendliness rank: #24
#36. Kentucky
Total score: 40.76
Cost rank: #7
Health care rank: #38
Baby-friendliness rank: #33
Family-friendliness rank: #37
#35. Texas
Total score: 41.49
Cost rank: #40
Health care rank: #44
Baby-friendliness rank: #29
Family-friendliness rank: #20
#34. Delaware
Total score: 41.97
Cost rank: #37
Health care rank: #20
Baby-friendliness rank: #41
Family-friendliness rank: #31
#33. Wyoming
Total score: 42.09
Cost rank: #48
Health care rank: #33
Baby-friendliness rank: #17
Family-friendliness rank: #28
#32. Michigan
Total score: 42.43
Cost rank: #6
Health care rank: #35
Baby-friendliness rank: #39
Family-friendliness rank: #35
#31. Indiana
Total score: 42.52
Cost rank: #8
Health care rank: #42
Baby-friendliness rank: #30
Family-friendliness rank: #30
#30. Montana
Total score: 43.46
Cost rank: #15
Health care rank: #23
Baby-friendliness rank: #46
Family-friendliness rank: #27
#29. Alaska
Total score: 45.83
Cost rank: #51
Health care rank: #5
Baby-friendliness rank: #7
Family-friendliness rank: #39
#28. Idaho
Total score: 45.87
Cost rank: #13
Health care rank: #18
Baby-friendliness rank: #24
Family-friendliness rank: #34
#27. South Dakota
Total score: 46.18
Cost rank: #49
Health care rank: #16
Baby-friendliness rank: #45
Family-friendliness rank: #19
#26. Pennsylvania
Total score: 46.78
Cost rank: #4
Health care rank: #32
Baby-friendliness rank: #51
Family-friendliness rank: #18
#25. Virginia
Total score: 47.04
Cost rank: #17
Health care rank: #28
Baby-friendliness rank: #35
Family-friendliness rank: #21
#24. Kansas
Total score: 47.4
Cost rank: #35
Health care rank: #9
Baby-friendliness rank: #36
Family-friendliness rank: #26
#23. Maryland
Total score: 47.61
Cost rank: #5
Health care rank: #29
Baby-friendliness rank: #27
Family-friendliness rank: #29
#22. Ohio
Total score: 48.26
Cost rank: #3
Health care rank: #34
Baby-friendliness rank: #34
Family-friendliness rank: #23
#21. Illinois
Total score: 50.56
Cost rank: #32
Health care rank: #24
Baby-friendliness rank: #20
Family-friendliness rank: #15
#20. New Jersey
Total score: 50.64
Cost rank: #43
Health care rank: #30
Baby-friendliness rank: #16
Family-friendliness rank: #12
#19. Wisconsin
Total score: 53.65
Cost rank: #46
Health care rank: #22
Baby-friendliness rank: #18
Family-friendliness rank: #6
#18. New York
Total score: 53.86
Cost rank: #42
Health care rank: #27
Baby-friendliness rank: #13
Family-friendliness rank: #7
#17. Maine
Total score: 54.03
Cost rank: #21
Health care rank: #7
Baby-friendliness rank: #37
Family-friendliness rank: #17
#16. Oregon
Total score: 54.67
Cost rank: #12
Health care rank: #10
Baby-friendliness rank: #11
Family-friendliness rank: #25
#15. Rhode Island
Total score: 54.79
Cost rank: #36
Health care rank: #6
Baby-friendliness rank: #9
Family-friendliness rank: #22
#14. Iowa
Total score: 54.95
Cost rank: #25
Health care rank: #21
Baby-friendliness rank: #21
Family-friendliness rank: #8
#13. Hawaii
Total score: 55.04
Cost rank: #14
Health care rank: #12
Baby-friendliness rank: #2
Family-friendliness rank: #33
#12. Utah
Total score: 55.17
Cost rank: #24
Health care rank: #17
Baby-friendliness rank: #10
Family-friendliness rank: #16
#11. Washington
Total score: 55.99
Cost rank: #26
Health care rank: #14
Baby-friendliness rank: #14
Family-friendliness rank: #13
#10. California
Total score: 56.07
Cost rank: #50
Health care rank: #11
Baby-friendliness rank: #6
Family-friendliness rank: #10
#9. District of Columbia
Total score: 56.44
Cost rank: #28
Health care rank: #37
Baby-friendliness rank: #1
Family-friendliness rank: N/A
#8. Nebraska
Total score: 56.59
Cost rank: #19
Health care rank: #15
Baby-friendliness rank: #22
Family-friendliness rank: #9
#7. Colorado
Total score: 57.8
Cost rank: #38
Health care rank: #8
Baby-friendliness rank: #4
Family-friendliness rank: #14
#6. Connecticut
Total score: 59.3
Cost rank: #39
Health care rank: #13
Baby-friendliness rank: #3
Family-friendliness rank: #11
#5. North Dakota
Total score: 63.21
Cost rank: #2
Health care rank: #19
Baby-friendliness rank: #19
Family-friendliness rank: #4
#4. New Hampshire
Total score: 65.65
Cost rank: #11
Health care rank: #2
Baby-friendliness rank: #40
Family-friendliness rank: #3
#3. Minnesota
Total score: 67.06
Cost rank: #18
Health care rank: #4
Baby-friendliness rank: #5
Family-friendliness rank: #2
#2. Massachusetts
Total score: 67.76
Cost rank: #27
Health care rank: #3
Baby-friendliness rank: #12
Family-friendliness rank: #1
#1. Vermont
Total score: 69.61
Cost rank: #20
Health care rank: #1
Baby-friendliness rank: #8
Family-friendliness rank: #5
