These Are the Top 10 Best States to Have a Baby in 2023
Having a baby while joyous, can often be stressful. Between getting your home ready for your new arrival, to working, going to appointments and paying for care, moms often need a village to have and raise a child. And just as important as who is in that village, it also matters where it is. From paid parental leave to access to healthcare professionals like obstetricians and pediatricians, what state you live in can have quite the influence on how easy your experience with pregnancy and parenting is.
A new study from WalletHub plots out what US states are best equipped to help parents along their journey. To figure out the most ideal places to have a baby, WalletHub compared the 50 states and D.C. across 31 key measures of cost, health care accessibility and baby- and family-friendliness. Here’s what the study found:
Best States to Have a Baby
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Vermont
- Rhode Island
- North Dakota
- New Hampshire
- Iowa
- Utah
- Connecticut
- Washington
Why did these states fall where they did? Several factors related to the four key measures: cost, health care, baby-friendliness and family-friendliness. Each of these categories were evaluated on different metrics that were rated on a 100-point scale, with 100 being the best conditions.
Massachusetts, the number one state for three years running, has the highest parental leave policy score (160) of all states. Paid family leave has been shown to not only help mom and dad bond with baby but it also boasts some big life-saving benefits.
Meanwhile, runner-up Minnesota scored second in family-friendliness and fourth in access to healthcare with the third most obstetricians, gynecologists, and pediatricians (per capita).
Of course, there are several aspects that go into raising a child—and where you live is just one of them. One of the best things you can do to help prepare for baby’s arrival is to make a budgeting plan to follow.
To learn more about the data and view the full survey, visit WalletHub.com.
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