See Where Oregon Ranks Among Best States to Have a Baby

Tuesday, August 15, 2017
GoLocalPDX News Team

Is Oregon a good place to have a kid? 

According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, Oregon ranks 21st in the U.S. when it comes to the best places to have kids. 

“One important expense to keep in mind is medical and hospital bills. According to the International Federation of Health Plans, Americans pay the highest birthing costs in the world, with the price tag of normal delivery averaging $10,808. A C-section goes up by another $5,298. Without maternity health coverage, including Medicaid, you can expect those prices to double or even triple,” said WalletHub.

Oregon's Rankings: 

• 24th Best - Costs 
• 10th Best - Healthcare 
• 11th Best - Baby Friendliness 
• 35th Best - Family Friendliness 

 

The Rankings 

Oregon ranks behind Wisconsin and Maryland, who rank 19th and 20th respectively. Oregon ranks ahead of New Jersey and California, who rank 22nd and 23rd. 

Vermont is ranked as the best place to have a baby, while Mississippi is ranked as the worst. 

See the Rankings in the Map Below 

 

The Method

In order to determine the best and worst states to have a baby, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across four key dimensions: 1) Cost, 2) Health Care, 3) Baby-Friendliness and 4) Family-Friendliness.

They evaluated those dimensions using 20 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for expectant parents and newborns.

Lastly, they determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score and used the resulting scores to rank the states.

Cost – Total Points: 20

• Hospital Cesarean-Delivery Charges: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Hospital Conventional-Delivery Charges: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Average Annual Cost of Early Child Care: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Average Health-Insurance Premiums: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

 

Healthcare- Total Points: 40

• Infant Mortality Rate: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
• Maternal Mortality Ratio (per 100,000 Live Births): Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
• Rate of Low Birth-Weight: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
• Rate of Preterm Births: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
• Share of Children with All Seven Recommended Vaccines: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
• Quality of Women’s Hospitals: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
• Quality of Pediatric Neonatology Facilities: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
• Midwives & Obstetrician-Gynecologists per Capita: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
• Pediatricians & Family Doctors per Capita: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
• Fertility Clinics per Capita: Quarter Weight (~0.98 Points)
• mPINC Survey Score: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)

 

Baby-Friendliness - Total Points: 20

• Parental-Leave Policy Score: Double Weight (~8.00 Points)
• Mom Groups per Capita: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
• Child-Care Centers per Capita: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
• Share of Nationally Accredited Child-Care Centers: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)

 

Family-Friendliness - Total Points: 20

• Family-Friendliness: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)