New Jersey Ranked 3rd Best For Working Parents During COVID-19

NEW JERSEY — When the coronavirus pandemic hit, many parents were left scrambling to come up with childcare solutions while still holding onto their jobs. Luckily for New Jersey parents, the state ranked as the third-best in the nation for supporting those working parents, according to Business.org.

The states were ranked from best to worst delving into each state's benefits for working parents including income, income-to-rent ratio, job stability during the pandemic, paid family leave (maternity and paternity leave), medical leave, and job-protected leave.

"The less parents have to worry about child care, paid time off, job security, and basic housing needs, the more precious time parents can spend with their children," according to Business.org.

Washington D.C. took the top spot followed by Washington State while Nevada took the worst spot in the country. Looking at the tri-state area, New Jersey ranked highest above Pennsylvania coming in at number 40, Connecticut at 17 and New York ranking at number 5.

Looking at New Jersey's stats:

• Income-to-rent ratio - 29.6 percent
• 2019-2020 unemployment rate change - up 3.1 percent
• Paid family leave - yes
• Paid medical leave - yes
• Job-protected leave - yes

The ratio of income to housing costs was pulled from the U.S. Census Bureau. This ratio shows whether a parent with a low income-to-rent ratio might not have to work as many hours to cover their family's basic needs, according to the study.

Additionally, the unemployment rate over the past year was pulled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to get a glimpse of the job stability during the coronavirus pandemic.

Here is a glimpse of how New Jersey's numbers compare to the average in the nation (see below), using the most recent data available:

• Gross rent as a percentage of household income (2019): 30 percent
• Unemployment rate change (Sept. 2019–Sept. 2020): 30 percent
• Paid family leave: 10 percent
• Paid medical leave: 10 percent
• Job-protected leave (lower employer size threshold): 10 percent
• Job-protected leave (lower employee tenure/hours worked requirement): 10 percent

See below to see how every state in the nation ranked from best to work for working parents:

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