California ranks in the lower half of states in a recent report on the best places to have a baby.
The Golden State ranked No. 30 in a recent WalletHub report on the best and worst states to have a baby, which evaluated affordability, health care, and baby- and family-friendliness.
“The best states for having a baby minimize costs while providing top-notch care for both newborns and their mothers," Chip Lupo, an analyst with WalletHub, said in a news release. "They also continue to be good environments for parents even long after the birth, with high-quality pediatric care, affordable and accessible childcare, and a strong economic environment that makes providing for a child easier.”
Here's what to know about WalletHub's report, including what it
found for California and the rest of the nation.
Where California ranks in report
With an overall score of 47.14, California ranked No. 30 in WalletHub's report, behind Michigan and ahead of Arizona.
A major factor dragging down the Golden State's score was cost, where it ranked last at No. 51.
The state performed best in health care, ranking No. 7 in the report.
California landed near the middle of the pack for baby-friendliness and family-friendliness, ranking No. 23 and No. 29, respectively.
Best states to have a baby, according to report
Here are the best states to have a baby, along with their rankings and overall scores, according to WalletHub.
- No. 1: Massachusetts (74.96)
- No. 2: Minnesota (69.66)
- No. 3: North Dakota (65.53)
- No. 4: Rhode Island (63.68)
- No. 5: New Hampshire (63.34)
- No. 6: Maine (63.11)
- No. 7: Connecticut (61.75)
- No. 8: Vermont (61.74)
- No. 9: Washington (60.20)
- No. 10: District of Columbia (59.82)
Worst states to have a baby, WalletHub report says
Here are the best states to have a baby, along with their rankings and overall scores, per WalletHub's report.
- No. 51: Mississippi (29.23)
- No. 50: Alabama (30.75)
- No. 49: Florida (35.52)
- No. 48: New Mexico (35.64)
- No. 47: Nevada (36.06)
- No. 46: South Carolina (37.12)
- No. 45: Texas (37.97)
- No. 44: Georgia (38.21)
- No. 43: Arkansas (38.25)
- No. 42: West Virginia (38.81)
Report's methodology
To identify the best and worst states to have a baby, WalletHub evaluated the 50 states and D.C. using 31 metrics across four dimensions: cost, health care, baby-friendliness, and family-friendliness.
Cost factors included hospital charges for cesarean and conventional deliveries, the average annual cost of early childcare, health insurance premiums and newborn screening expenses, among others. Health care metrics examined infant and maternal mortality rates, low birth weight rates, food security for babies, the quality of women's and pediatric hospitals, fertility clinics per capita, postpartum depression rates and more. To measure baby-friendliness, WalletHub looked at factors such as parental leave policies, mom groups per capita, childcare centers per capita, and the share of nationally accredited childcare providers. Family-friendliness was based on WalletHub's "Best & Worst States to Raise a Family" rankings.
Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 indicating the most favorable conditions. WalletHub said it then calculated a weighted average of the metrics for each state to determine an overall rating for its rankings.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California lands in bottom half of states for having a baby, report finds
