The Peach State ranks poorly when it comes to evaluating environments for having a baby.
That’s according to a recent study released by personal financial website WalletHub. The analysis compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 31 key measures, including cost, health care accessibility, and baby-friendliness. It also evaluated everything from hospital conventional-delivery charges to annual average infant-care costs and pediatricians per capita.
WalletHub determined that the average conventional birth in the United States costs over $2,600 for mothers with insurance and nearly $15,000 for mothers without insurance. But what about Georgia specifically?
States topping the list for the best places to have a baby:
| Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Cost | Health Care | Baby-Friendliness | Family-Friendliness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 69.31 | 42 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2 | Minnesota | 67.86 | 24 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| 3 | Vermont | 65.74 | 36 | 1 | 26 | 5 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 65.64 | 33 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| 5 | North Dakota | 64.21 | 5 | 20 | 24 | 4 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 64.15 | 2 | 6 | 41 | 6 |
| 7 | Iowa | 62.19 | 12 | 5 | 35 | 9 |
| 8 | Utah | 61.42 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 15 |
| 9 | Connecticut | 60.67 | 48 | 9 | 13 | 10 |
| 10 | Washington | 60.23 | 44 | 12 | 3 | 12 |
And the worst:
| 46 | Georgia | 34.31 | 29 | 46 | 48 | 42 |
| 47 | West Virginia | 33.28 | 23 | 45 | 51 | 48 |
| 48 | Louisiana | 31.93 | 1 | 48 | 47 | 47 |
| 49 | South Carolina | 30.24 | 41 | 47 | 49 | 46 |
| 50 | Alabama | 27.71 | 39 | 51 | 45 | 45 |
| 51 | Mississippi | 26.87 | 20 | 49 | 50 | 50 |
Having a Baby in Georgia (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
- 37th – Infant Mortality Rate
- 49th – Rate of Low Birth-Weight
- 22nd – Midwives & OB-GYNs per Capita
- 46th – Pediatricians & Family Medicine Physicians per Capita
- 38th – Child-Care Centers per Capita
- 34th – Parental-Leave Policy Score
