These are the best and worst states to have a baby

Having a baby is an expensive and challenging life event, but the extent of the difficulty can vary depending on where you live. 

A new report from the personal finance website WalletHub ranks the best and worst states to have a baby, based on metrics like hospital delivery charges, infant mortality rates and the number of child care centers per capita. 


Source: WalletHub

According to WalletHub’s findings, the best states for parents and their newborns are Vermont, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Rhode Island and Minnesota. The lowest-ranked were Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

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The report compares all 50 states and Washington, D.C., basing its rankings on four key factors ― baby-related costs; accessibility and quality of health care; baby-friendliness; and family-friendliness ― and 30 metrics within each of those categories, including average infant care costs, parental leave policies, midwives and OB-GYNs per capita, and pediatricians and family doctors per capita.   

WalletHub’s analysis found that Alaska has the lowest share of babies born with low weight, at about 6%, while Mississippi has the highest share, at nearly 12%. Meanwhile, Mississippi had the lowest average annual cost for early child care, at $3,192 per year, compared to the District of Columbia’s figure of $15,515 — higher than any of the 50 states. 

Visit WalletHub for the full rankings and more information about the methodology behind this report.

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10. Pennsylvania

Total moves to and from state in 2016: 6,868

Percent of moves that were outbound: 56%

Via Forbes

9. Utah

Total moves to and from state in 2016: 2,094

Percent of moves that were outbound: 56%

Via Forbes

8. Ohio

Total moves to and from state in 2016: 7,049

Percent of moves that were outbound: 57%

Via Forbes

7. West Virginia

Total moves to and from state in 2016: 547

Percent of moves that were outbound: 57%

Via Forbes

6. Kentucky

Total moves to and from state in 2016: 2,919

Percent of moves that were outbound: 58%

Via Forbes

5. Kansas

Total moves to and from state in 2016: 2,329

Percent of moves that were outbound: 60%

Via Forbes

4. Connecticut

Total moves to and from state in 2016: 3,076

Percent of moves that were outbound: 60%

Via Forbes


3. New York

Total moves to and from state in 2016: 8,846

Percent of moves that were outbound: 63%

Via Forbes

2. Illinois

Total moves to and from state in 2016: 8,782

Percent of moves that were outbound: 63%

Via Forbes

1. New Jersey

Total moves to and from state in 2016: 5,489

Percent of moves that were outbound: 63%

Via Forbes

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  • This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

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