Study Examines the Best and Worst States for Mothers to Live

A new study from Kremp examines an important aspect of motherhood. They created a scoring system to determine the best and worst locations for mothers to live in. Thanks to the multitude of details the team provided, we can see exactly how they came to their conclusions. The criteria for the scoring system examine diverse ways a community can support mothers and analyze the health and well-being of mothers and children living in each state. While something like a motherhood experience is subjective, these criteria give a fair way to compare motherhood in various locations.

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The methodology relied on these factors:

• Women’s Median Earnings
• Gender Wage Gap
• Child Care Costs
• Percentage of Mothers in Good or Excellent Health
• Percentage of Children in Good or Excellent Health
• Percentage of the Population Under 18
• State School System Scores
• Percentage of Parents Who “Definitely Agree” Their Child is Safe in School
• Weeks of Parental Leave Available
• Paid Family Leave Availability
• Job Protection

Based on these criteria, these ten states scored the highest:

• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Connecticut
• Kentucky
• Delaware
• South Dakota
• New York
• Rhode Island
• Florida

While these ten states received the lowest scores:

• Montana
• Arizona
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• South Carolina
• Oklahoma
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• Nevada
• West Virginia
• New Mexico

The study and map are helpful precisely because motherhood is such a subjective experience. One mother may consider education of the utmost importance, while another may not be so concerned with this but focused on childcare costs and healthcare. While the study aimed to take all these factors together and score them as a whole, concerned moms can use this data to draw their own conclusions and judge the best location for their family’s needs.

The “best” state for moms often depends on the type of mother. A working mom might have vastly different priorities from a stay-at-home mom. A working mom would likely agree that Massachusetts is the best state for them because of a smaller wage gap and plenty of paid parental leave. In fact, Massachusetts offers the most parental leave compared to all other states. A mom of one child will have unique needs compared to a mom with four children. The age of the children also plays a role. Do the children need daycare, or are they all school-aged? A single Mom may consider Virginia the best state for their situation because of the low cost of living compared to average wages, though once again, Massachusetts has a lot to offer.

The map aspect of the study’s design gives us interesting insights, too. The color patterns show us that many of the best states for motherhood are in the Northeast, while many of the worst states are in the South. This map certainly gives parents something to think about if they are considering a move or planning a future family.