With the average conventional birth costing over $2,600 for mothers with insurance and nearly $15,000 for mothers without insurance, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2025’s Best & Worst States to Have a Baby, as well as expert commentary.
To determine the most ideal places in the U.S. for parents and their newborns, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 31 key measures of cost, health care accessibility and baby-friendliness. The data set ranges from hospital conventional-delivery charges to annual average infant-care costs to pediatricians per capita.
WalletHub reported South Dakota was 23rd overall.
| Best States to Have a Baby | Worst States to Have a Baby | |
| 1. Massachusetts | 42. West Virginia | |
| 2. North Dakota | 43. Oklahoma | |
| 3. Minnesota | 44. Florida | |
| 4. New Hampshire | 45. Arkansas | |
| 5. Maine | 46. New Mexico | |
| 6. Rhode Island | 47. Georgia | |
| 7. Vermont | 48. South Carolina | |
| 8. Washington | 49. Nevada | |
| 9. Iowa | 50. Alabama | |
| 10. District of Columbia | 51. Mississippi |
Best vs. Worst
- South Dakota has the lowest average annual cost for early child care, which is 3.5 times lower than in the District of Columbia, the highest.
- Alaska has the lowest share of childbirths with low birth weight, which is 1.9 times lower than in Mississippi, the highest.
- Delaware has the most obstetricians and gynecologists (per 100,000 residents), which is 13.8 times more than in Louisiana, the fewest.
- Massachusetts has the highest parental leave policy score, 160, while 9 states, such as Alabama, Michigan and South Dakota, tie for the lowest at 0.
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-to-have-a-baby/6513