Pennsylvania Named Second Worst State To Have A Baby

By JUSTIN HEINZE (Patch Staff) September 9, 2015

Pennsylvania, home to some of the nation’s most highly touted suburbs and top ranked schools, may not be the best place to actually start a family, according to one new study.

The Keystone State was ranked as the second worst state in the entire nation to have a baby, trailing only Mississippi for the lowest spot on the list compiled by WalletHub.

The study’s authors looked at several different statistics gathered from the U.S. Census Bureau and other government sources. Pennsylvania ranked in the lower half of most categories, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst:

• 34th – Average Annual Infant-Care Costs
• 36th – Infant Death Rate
• 24th – Rate of Low Birth-Weight
• 45th – Number of Midwives & OB-GYNs per Capita
• 48th – Number of Pediatricians per Capita
• 29th – Number of Child Care Centers per Capita
• 23rd – ‘Parental Leave Policy’ Score

These metrics were organized into three larger categories. Pennsylvania placed 37th in Budget, 36th in Health Care, and 51st, dead last, in Baby-Friendly Environment.

“Americans pay the highest birthing costs in the world,” the study says. “The average price tag of conventional delivery at a U.S. hospital is $10,002. Add another $5,238 to that for a C-Section. In the Netherlands, the cost of a normal birth pales in comparison at $2,824 and dips to an even more modest $2,251 in Spain.”

Vermont, North Dakota, and Oregon were named the top three places to have a baby, while West Virginia joined Pennsylvania and Mississippi at the bottom of the list.