MAP MONDAY: Georgia Among Nation’s Worst States to Have a Baby

Georgia ranks among the bottom five states in the nation for having a baby, according to a new WalletHub analysis that evaluated everything from health care access and delivery costs to family support systems and infant well-being.

The personal finance website ranked Georgia 47th out of 51 jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia, in its 2026 “Best & Worst States to Have a Baby” report. Only South Carolina, Nevada, Alabama, and Mississippi ranked lower overall.

WalletHub’s analysis considered a broad range of indicators intended to measure the experience of expectant parents and young families. Those metrics included hospital charges for conventional and cesarean deliveries, child care costs, health insurance premiums, Medicaid expansion status, newborn screening costs, access to obstetricians, pediatricians and midwives, infant and maternal health outcomes, parental leave policies, vaccination rates, food insecurity among households with young children, and broader measures of family support.

WalletHub compared states using 31 metrics grouped into four major categories: cost, health care, baby-friendliness, and family-friendliness. Georgia’s overall score of 36.89 reflected below-average performance across nearly every category.

The state’s strongest showing came in affordability, where it ranked 27th. However, Georgia fell to 39th in health care, 46th in baby-friendliness, and 40th in family-friendliness, dragging down its overall standing.

Best States to Have a Baby

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

The findings suggest that while the cost of childbirth in Georgia is relatively middle-of-the-pack compared to other states, expectant parents may face greater challenges when it comes to accessing health care providers, raising infants, and finding family-friendly resources.

Massachusetts claimed the top spot as the best state to have a baby, followed by North Dakota, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Maine. WalletHub credited Massachusetts’ high ranking to its low infant and maternal mortality rates, nationally recognized neonatal hospitals, strong vaccination rates, generous parental leave policies, and family support programs.

At the other end of the rankings, Mississippi finished last, with Alabama and South Carolina also placing near the bottom.

Reportedly, the average childbirth costs more than $2,600 out-of-pocket for families with insurance, while uninsured deliveries can approach $15,000, making affordability only one factor in what has become an increasingly expensive life event. The study noted that quality health care, access to providers, and community resources have just as much impact on outcomes for both mothers and infants.

WalletHub based its rankings on publicly available data from federal agencies and research organizations, assigning weighted scores across the four categories to determine each state’s final ranking.