Mental Floss

The 10 Best States for Working Moms

Massachusetts leads in creating supportive environments for working mothers, while Louisiana lags far behind.
ByCaLea Johnson|
Juggling deadlines and children takes a lot of work.
Juggling deadlines and children takes a lot of work. | MoMo Productions/GettyImages

USA Facts reports that the number of women with children in the labor force has stayed around 72 percent since 2000. However, their median weekly earnings were just 68.9 percent of what working dads made in 2022. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, let’s look at which states are best suited for working moms across America.

  1. The Best States For Working Moms
  2. States That Are Lacking For Working Moms      

The personal finance platform WalletHub determined this ranking by focusing on three key categories: child care, professional opportunities, and work-life balance. These categories were divided into 17 weighted factors—including female unemployment rates, parental-leave policies, and child-care costs—across all 50 states and the District of Columbia to figure out which places are ideal for working moms. Each criterion was measured on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the best conditions; the WalletHub team ranked each area after calculating its overall score.

The Best States For Working Moms

According to the research, Massachusetts wins by a landslide, with a score of 72.37. Its daycare systems are second to none, and its parental leave policies are among the best in the country. Connecticut (66.29) follows close behind, likely due to its lower unemployment rates for women and smaller gender pay gap. Massachusetts and Connecticut are also both ideal for mothers working remotely, per a previous WalletHub’s study. Rhode Island (63.82) concludes the top three ideal states for working moms: It ranks second-best in work-life balance and boasts one of the highest female-to-male executive ratios.

These 10 spots are the top options for working moms:

  1. Massachusetts
  2. Connecticut
  3. Rhode Island
  4. District of Columbia
  5. Maine
  6. Minnesota
  7. Vermont
  8. Wisconsin
  9. New Jersey
  10. New York

States That Are Lacking For Working Moms      

On the contrary, Louisiana received the worst ranking on the list, scoring 25.35 out of 100. The state has the lowest daycare ratings and the highest gender pay gap in the country. Alabama (28.80) and Nevada (31.70) come in second and third, respectively; the former has one of the lowest female-to-male executive ratios, while the latter’s child-care ranking is second to last. 

You can find the rest of the bottom 10 states below:

  1. Louisiana
  2. Alabama
  3. Nevada
  4. Mississippi
  5. New Mexico
  6. South Carolina
  7. Arizona
  8. West Virginia
  9. Idaho
  10. Oklahoma

Read More About Mother‘s Day:

Home/LIVE SMARTER