MS is the worst state to have a baby, new study says. Here’s why

If you are having a baby in 2025 or 2026, it may be good to know how much a birth costs in your state, as well as other factors such as daycare costs, maternity care and the overall family-friendliness (or lack of) in your area.

Well, good news for expecting and new parents, WalletHub just released their 2025 study for the best and worst states to have a baby.

However, if you live in Mississippi, the news is not the best because according to the study, Mississippi is ranked the worst state to have a baby. Why is that?

Why is MS the worst state to have a baby?

WalletHub’s study shows that Mississippi ranked the worst state to have a baby, with an overall score of 27.99 out of 100. But why?

WalletHub experts evaluated four key dimensions (Cost, Health Care, Baby-Friendliness and Family-Friendliness) with factors such as delivery charges, infant mortality rate, quality of hospitals, parental leave policies and more.

Mississippi scored one of the lowest (at 50) in the healthcare category and its score for family-friendliness was at 49.

In addition, Mississippi’s baby-friendliness score was also low, at a 44. But there is some good news: the state’s score in the cost of having a baby was somewhat in the middle, at 24.

So, how could Mississippi improve its overall score and rank?

Well, it all come down to improving healthcare for infants and children.

“Children require more significant healthcare visits than adults when you think about annual physicals, more visits for sick care that you might not make as an adult, and regular vaccinations,” said Megan Kuykendoll with Miami University. “As part of parenting, families could have a child with complex medical needs, and that is something prospective parents should consider as well. Even for insured people, there are increased costs with increased medical needs, so having a sufficient financial buffer to address these possibilities is recommended.”

Of course, Mississippi could also make improvements with family-friendliness by adding more family fun centers, improving its divorce rate, affordability of housing and quality of schools.

Which states are the best to have a baby?

According to the study, here are the best states to have a baby:

• Massachusetts (score of 73.64 out of 100) - best 
• North Dakota (67.65)
• Minnesota (67.44)
• New Hampshire (65.82)
• Maine (64.26)

Which other states are the worst to have a baby?

The WalletHub study ranked these states as the worst to have a baby:

• Alabama (29.39) - second worst
• Nevada (33.31)
• South Carolina (33.77)
• Georgia (36.89)

What do you think of this study? Let me know in the comments or email me at cmadden@mcclatchy.com

This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

Chelsea Madden

The Telegraph

Chelsea is a service journalism reporter who began working for McClatchy in 2022. She was born and raised in Middle Georgia and lives in Forsyth. She attended Wesleyan College for undergrad and a few years after that, went to SCAD for an MFA in writing. Outside of work, Chelsea likes to watch Netflix, read books in the thriller genre and chase her toddler around.