Image: Gabi Menashe


Having a baby is expensive. Really expensive for families in the United States who, according to the International Federation of Health Plans pay the highest birthing costs in the world. And it’s especially expensive for New Yorkers that live in a state that ranks amongst the worst to have a baby.

A new study from WalletHub ranked New York seventh among the worst states to have a baby. The study looked at 22 metrics including delivery costs, access to pediatric services and the number of child care centers per capita to determine the rankings.

Having a Baby in New York (1=Best; 25=Avg.)
• 26th – Hospital Cesarean Delivery Charges
• 29th – Hospital Conventional Delivery Charges
• 50th – Average Annual Infant Care Costs
• 13th – Infant Death Rate
• 23rd – Low Birth Weight
• 11th – Number of Midwives and OB-GYNs per Capita
• 13th – Access to Pediatric Services
• 49th – Number of Child Centers per Capita
• 11th – Parental Leave Policy Score

Vermont, Maine, Oregon, Connecticut and New Hampshire ranked in the top five while Nevada, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama ranked below New York.