INFOGRAPHIC: Best States to Have a Baby in 2020
Here’s a quick glance at the best states to have a baby in 2020 based on 32 key metrics. Find out how your state stacks up.
Earlier this month, WalletHub released their annual list of the best and worst U.S. states to give birth in. They compared the 50 states and Washington, D.C across 32 critical indicators that covered factors like cost, healthcare, and baby/family friendliness. The results showed some clear differences that set the best states to have a baby in apart from the rest of the country.
Deciding where to have a baby is one of the most important choices you’ll make as an aspiring parent. As much as possible, your decision should be grounded on solid data. That’s why we think surveys like WalletHub’s rankings are excellent resources that you should take a close look at. It’s also why we put together a quick infographic that summarizes its key findings.
We also include an interactive map to help you get a more precise feel for each state’s score.
Overall Rankings: The Top and Bottom 15 States in the List
In terms of overall rankings, here’s a rundown of the top 15 states:
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Vermont
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- New Hampshire
- Washington, D.C.
- Maine
- Washington
- Connecticut
- Oregon
- New Jersey
- Hawaii
- Colorado
- Iowa
Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, here are the bottom 15 states in the overall rankings:
- New Mexico
- West Virginia
- Tennessee
- Arizona
- Texas
- Nevada
- Oklahoma
- North Carolina
- Florida
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- South Carolina
- Alabama
Best States to have a Baby in 2020: Top States in Key Categories
Drilling down into the major categories, here’s how the top states fared:
- Best Overall: Massachusetts
- Most Affordable: North Dakota
- Best Healthcare: Vermont
- Most Family Friendly: Minnesota
Rankings based on healthcare metrics took on an added dimension this year, as the survey also considered the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on pregnancy and childbirth. States with relatively better COVID-19 numbers scored well on the healthcare aspect of the survey.
Comparing with 2019’s Rankings
For 2019’s list of best and worst states to have a baby, WalletHub analyzed 30 metrics that cover the same four categories of cost, healthcare, baby-friendliness, and family-friendliness.
According to last year’s survey, the best states to have a baby in were as follows:
- Vermont
- Massachusetts
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- Minnesota
As you can see, these continue to be the top 5 states for this year’s rankings. That’s despite being hit by the pandemic, which has revealed glaring weaknesses that tended to vary across each state’s healthcare systems.
On the other hand, the following states were 2019’s worst places to have a baby:
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- South Carolina
- Louisiana
- Oklahoma
With the exception of Oklahoma, the worst states to have a baby in have stayed pretty consistent in the most recent two years.
Interactive Map
Click on any part of the chart below to view the interactive map and the dataset on Plotly.
Read the full report on WalletHub
So, do you agree with this year’s rankings of the best states to have a baby in? Which state do you prefer to give birth in? Share your thoughts in the comments below. We’re happy to hear from you.
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