Key Insights:
- Elite Access: The Pacific Northwest is perfect for new moms. Bellevue, Washington (No. 3), claims the best access to doulas. Portland, Oregon (No. 1), offers the 3rd-highest number of mom and parent support groups per capita, and Seattle (No. 4) finished 3rd in park access.
- Don’t Break the Bank: Pregnancy and childbirth can bankrupt a new family. Honolulu (No. 39) boasts the most affordable average delivery costs — regardless of insurance coverage — when adjusted by the local average income. Florida charges the highest costs with insurance, while Wisconsin charges the highest without insurance.
- Healthy Cities: Mid-sized cities offer top access to high-quality care. Irvine, California (No. 14), has the best-rated public hospitals. Moms can find the greatest access to OB/GYNS in Grand Rapids, Michigan (No. 74), while Albuquerque, New Mexico (No. 94), offers the most nurse midwives per 10,000 new moms.
- Mom-Friendly Mandates: Massachusetts offers first-rate Mom Protections, with paid family leave job security, high wage replacement, and the longest paid family leave policy in America — 12 weeks. Unfortunately, Bay State cities are among the least affordable for new moms, with Springfield (No. 35) the 2nd-most expensive overall.
- Sitter Spending: Today, it costs over $300,000 to raise a child, leaving many families strapped for cash when looking for child care options. Parents in Frisco, Texas (No. 53), save on sitters with the most affordable rate, and Jackson, Mississippi (No. 179), claims the lowest annual daycare cost when adjusted by the average household income.
- Cradling Comfort: Fort Lauderdale, Florida (No. 150), offers the most lactation spaces per 10,000 new moms, followed by Salt Lake City (No. 30) and Newark, New Jersey (No. 62). Moms here can breastfeed in public — and are now protected by the PUMP Act — but their states lack specific legal protections adopted by those like California.
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