These Are the Top 10 Best States to Have a Baby in 2024

Having a baby while joyous, can often be stressful. Between getting your home ready for your new arrival, to working, going to appointments and paying for childcare, moms often need a village to have and raise a child. And just as important as who is in that village, it also matters where it is. From paid parental leave to access to healthcare professionals, what state you live in can have quite the influence on how easy your experience with pregnancy and parenting is.

A new study from WalletHub plots out what US states are best equipped to help parents along their journey. To figure out the most ideal places to have a baby, WalletHub compared the 50 states and Washington D.C. across 31 key measures of affordability, healthcare accessibility and baby-friendliness. Each of these categories were evaluated on different metrics that were rated on a 100-point scale, with 100 being the best conditions. Here’s what the study found:

Best States to Have a Baby

1. Massachusetts
2. North Dakota
3. Minnesota
4. Rhode Island
5. New Hampshire
6. District of Columbia
7. Maine
8. Vermont
9. Utah
10. Washington

For the fourth year in a row, Massachusetts has taken the top sport thanks to its impressive rankings when it comes to healthcare accesibility and baby- and family-friendliness.

A large part of this can be attributed to Massachusetts having the highest parental leave policy score (160) of all states. In 2018, The Bay State passed the most generous paid family leave policy in the nation. Not only has paid family leave been shown to help moms and dads bond with baby but it also boasts some big life-saving benefits.

Meanwhile, new runner-up North Dakota scored second in family-friendliness and third in affordability with some of the lowest costs in the country for hospital labor and delivery. Cost savings don’t stop at the hospital, either. North Dakota also has the lowest average hourly rate for a babysitter in the country, at just $15.44.

Rounding out the top three is Minnesota. Its high healthcare ranking can be attributed to low health insurance premiums and high-quality care. With an abundance of medical professionals from midwives to obstetricians, Minnesota has the third-lowest maternal mortality rate in the country and the 10th-lowest infant mortality rate.

Of course, there are several aspects that go into raising a child—and where you live is just one of them. One of the best things you can do to help prepare for baby’s arrival is to make a budgeting plan to follow.

To learn more about the data and view the full survey, visit WalletHub.com.