IL Among Best States To Have A Baby: Ranking

ILLINOIS — Illinois is among the best states to have a baby, according to a ranking from WalletHub.

The personal finance website compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 31 measures of cost, health care accessibility, and baby- and family-friendliness. Each measure was graded on a 100-point scale and weighted, with a state’s average across all measures making up its overall score.

Illinois came in 19th on the list with a score of 54.86. Hawaii was 18th, scoring 55, and Colorado was 20th, scoring 54.79. Despite its high overall ranking, the Prairie State did come in 48th for childcare centers per capita.

“The best states for having a baby minimize costs while providing top-notch care for both newborns and their mothers,” according to WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe. “They also continue to be good environments for parents even long after the birth, with high-quality pediatric care, affordable and accessible child care, and a strong economic environment that makes providing for a child easier.”

Nationally, the average conventional delivery costs more than $2,600 with insurance and almost $15,000 without insurance, according to WalletHub.

The three best states to have a baby were Massachusetts, North Dakota and Minnesota, with scores of 73.12, 68.8 and 68.22, respectively, according to the ranking. The worst state was Mississippi, which scored 28.58.