Massachusetts 13th in Best Place to Have a Baby

Patch file photo

September is a popular month to have a baby, and according to studies, Americans pay the most expensive birthing costs in the world. The finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2015’s “Best and Worst States to Have a Baby.”

WalletHub compared 50 states and the District of Columbia, with Massachusetts scoring overall at 13. It compared such data as delivery costs, average annual infant-care costs, the per-capita number of midwives and OB-GYNs, and the per-capita number of child care centers.

Vermont, North Dakota, Oregon, Hawaii and Minnesota secured the top 5 spots, and West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Mississippi secured the “worst” spots.

Here’s how Massachusetts scored in “Having a Baby in Massachusetts” (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

14th – Hospital Cesarean-Delivery Charges
22nd – Hospital Conventional-Delivery Charges
2nd – Infant Death Rate
20th – Rate of Low Birth-Weight
19th – Number of Midwives & OB-GYNs per Capita
2nd – Number of Pediatricians per Capita
23rd – Number of Child Care Centers per Capita
16th – ‘Parental Leave Policy’ Score

Read the full report here.