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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Prince William and Kate Middleton are expected to welcome their third child in April 2018.
Joanna and Chip Gaines are expecting a baby later this year.
Cardi B and Offset are expecting a baby together, due later in 2018.
Kate Hudson and Danny Fujikawa are expecting a baby together, Kate announced in early April.
Michael Buble’s wife, Luisana Lopilato, is expecting a baby in 2018.
Hugh Grant and Anna Eberstein welcomed their third child together in March.
Seth Meyers and his wife Alexi, welcomed their second child in April — and they couldn’t make it to the hospital in time! She actually gave birth in the lobby of their apartment building. Insane!
James Van Der Beek and wife Kimberly are expecting their fifth child together this year.
Kylie Jenner gave birth to daughter Stormi in February 2018.
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Nate Berkus became dad to Oskar, his second child with Jeremiah Brent.
Joy-Anna Duggar and husband Austin Forsyth welcomed Gideon Martyn Forsyth in February 2018.
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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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