PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island is the fourth-best state in the country to have a baby and Massachusetts is No. 1, according to a report by WalletHub.
Researchers at the personal finance website compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 31 key measures of cost and health care accessibility, as well as baby- and family-friendliness. The data set ranged from hospital conventional-delivery charges to annual average infant-care costs to pediatricians per capita.
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Data showed the Ocean State ranked 33rd for costs, third for health care, second for baby-friendliness and 11th for family-friendliness for an overall score of 65.64.
Massachusetts led the nation with an overall score of 69.31. The Bay State ranked 42nd for cost, second for health care, fourth for baby-friendliness and first for family-friendliness.
Another New England state, Vermont, was third in the nation with an overall score of 65.74. That state ranked 36th for cost, first for health care, 26th for baby-friendliness and fifth for family-friendliness. Minnesota was second and North Dakota was fifth to round out the top five. New Hampshire was sixth.
Also, both Vermont and Massachusetts were among the five lowest states for infant mortality. Massachusetts was third and Vermont was second under the top state, North Dakota. It wasn’t immediately clear where Rhode Island ranked.
Mississippi was ranked the worst state to have a baby according to the report. That state ranked 20th for cost, 49th for health care, and 50th for both baby-friendliness and family-friendliness.
Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, and West Virginia rounded out the bottom five.
The full report can be found here.
