LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bluegrass State was recently ranked one of the worst U.S. states for working parents.
According to a survey from SelectSoftware Reviews, Kentucky is the eighth least suitable state in America to raise a child.
Each state was ranked based on childcare affordability, public school rankings, maternity leave pay, maternity leave duration and the current cost of living.
The survey says Kentucky was given such a poor ranking mainly due to The Commonwealth not having any mandatory maternity leave and low public school rankings. The average Kentucky parent will spend a whopping 31% of their annual income to cover childcare expenses.
The U.S. state researchers found to be the worst for working parents is New Mexico. Parents in New Mexico can expect to pay 21% more than the national average (33%) for income spent on childcare, making it one of the most expensive regions for families with young children.
On the other end of the spectrum, Connecticut was given the title of the best U.S. state to raise children. The state offers generous maternity leave, with mothers able to take 12 weeks off paid, receiving 95% of their income during this time.
Connecticut also ranked third as the state with the highest-rated public schools, while the average parent will only have to dedicate 25% of their annual income to cover childcare expenses.
Top ten worst U.S. states for parents:
- New Mexico
- Montana
- Michigan
- West Virginia
- North Carolina
- Louisiana
- Nevada
- Kentucky
- Arizona
- Florida
Top ten best U.S. states for parents
- Connecticut
- Maryland
- Colorado
- New Jersey
- Washington
- Delaware
- New York
- Illinois
- California
- Rhode Island
Data for this survey was gathered from the World Population Review, County Health Rankings and the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, according to SelectSoftware Reviews.
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