Florida residents looking to become new parents may want to think twice, according to a new study.
WalletHub, a personal financial management company, released its 2025’s Best & Worst States to Have a Baby analysis. That report ranked Florida 44th in America when it comes to having a baby.
The analysis looked at all 50 states and Washington, D.C., finding that the average conventional birth now costs more than $2,600 for mothers with insurance and nearly $15,000 for mothers without insurance.
“The best states for having a baby minimize costs while providing top-notch care for both newborns and their mothers. 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,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.
The study used 31 key measures, including cost, health care accessibility, friendliness to families with babies, delivery charges and annual infant care costs and other elements. Analysts used the different factors to develop a score for each state to determine the rankings.
Massachusetts came in first with a score of 73.64. Florida’s child-birth score came in at just 37.4, or 44th in the nation.
Several elements were lagging in the Sunshine state, including a low birth rate, at 37th in the country. The state’s pediatricians and family medicine physicians per capita also ranked 37th. The state’s infant mortality rate was 34th, along with several other factors that were ranked in the 30s.
Florida’s best element for having a baby was the availability of midwives and obstetrician gynecologists, ranking 15th in the country per capita. Parental leave policies in the state were above average, coming in at 21st. Florida was also ranked 27th in child care centers per capita.
“I believe one of the most important actions local authorities can take to support children is to prioritize the wellbeing of the primary caregiver,” said Stacey N. Doan, Director of the Berger Institute for Individual and Social Development at Claremont McKenna College.
“This requires a comprehensive, multi-level approach that addresses the entire person from family-friendly work policies that enable parents to balance their responsibilities, affordable childcare, to creating physical environments that are safe, accessible, and inviting.”
Massachusetts was followed by North Dakota in second, Minnesota in third, New Hampshire fourth and Maine in fifth.
There were no Sunbelt states in the top 10. Many of those states rounded out the bottom of the list, with Arkansas at No. 46, Georgia at No. 47, South Carolina at No. 48, Nevada at No. 49, Alabama at No. 50 and Mississippi at No. 51.
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