15. Indiana has a high number of nationally accredited childcare centers
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $40,070
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 17.37%
Average length of a woman's work week: 35.5 hours
Parental leave ranking: 34
Indiana has the second highest share of nationally accredited childcare centers out of all 50 states and Washington DC.
14. Wisconsin has strong schools
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $39,838
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 23.67%
Average length of a woman's work week: 35.3 hours
Parental leave ranking: 16
Wisconsin's high quality day cares and schools launch the Badger State to the 14th spot on the list.
13. California has one of the lowest gender pay gaps
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $30,020
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 20.46%
Average length of a woman's work week: 35.5 hours
Parental leave ranking: 1
California has one of the lowest gender pay gaps on the list. The Golden State also has the best parental leave policy in the country, according to WalletHub.
12. Oregon women enjoy one of the shortest average work weeks in the country
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $31,811
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 19.39%
Average length of a woman's work week: 34.4 hours
Parental leave ranking: 8
The Pacific Northwest state has one of the shortest work weeks on the list, coming in second with an average of 34.4 hours.
11. North Dakota is tied with Vermont to have the lowest female employment rate in the US
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $37,188
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 18.82%
Average length of a woman's work week: 36 hours
Parental leave ranking:
The Midwestern state has the second-highest number of childcare workers per 1,000 children under the age of 14. North Dakota is also tied with Vermont to have the lowest female employment rate in the US.
10. New York has the highest quality day cares
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $32,966
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 23.93%
Average length of a woman's work week: 35.9 hours
Parental leave ranking: 3
The Empire State boasts the highest quality day cares on the list, along with one of the lowest gender pay gaps (coming in at 86.2%).
9. Delaware has quite a lot of pediatricians
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $39,164
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 17.91%
Average length of a woman's work week: 36.2 hours
Parental leave ranking: 20
Delaware places third when it comes to number of pediatricians per 100,000 residents. It also came in seventh in the category of day care quality.
8. New Jersey has quality school systems
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $38,136
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 19.13%
Average length of a woman's work week: 35.8 hours
Parental leave ranking: 7
The Garden State received a boost in the rankings from its top-notch schools, coming in second in the category of school-system quality.
7. Maine has a favorable ratio of female-to-male executives
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $34,514
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 19.16%
Average length of a woman's work week: 35.2 hours
Parental leave ranking: 14
These rankings put the Pine Tree State's ratio of female to male executives at an impressive 67.73%.
6. Rhode Island has a high number of pediatricians
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $32,184
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 24.58%
Average length of a woman's work week: 34.7 hours
Parental leave ranking: 4
The smallest state in the US places sixth due to its generous parental leave policies and high number of pediatricians.
5. Connecticut has a comparatively lower share of families in poverty
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $36,239
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 22.43%
Average length of a woman's work week: 35.1 hours
Parental leave ranking: 5
Excellent schools and generous parental leave policies propel Connecticut to fifth place on WalletHub's list. It also has the sixth lowest share of families living in poverty in the US.
4. DC has the most nationally accredited child care centers
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $37,305
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 26.06%
Average length of a woman's work week:
Parental leave ranking: 2
The capital of the US has the fourth lowest gender pay gap in the rankings and the second best parental leave policies. It also has the most nationally accredited child care centers in the US.
3. Massachusetts has some of the best schools in the country
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $36,467
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 25.19%
Average length of a woman's work week: 34.9 hours
Parental leave ranking: 10
The most populous New England state receives a first-place ranking in school quality, and features a slightly shorter work week for women than most of the states on the list.
2. Minnesota has the highest median women’s salary (adjusted for inflation)
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $44,281
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 17.98%
Average length of a woman's work week: 35.3 hours
Parental leave ranking: 12
This Midwestern state benefits from the highest median women’s salary (adjusted for inflation). It also has a high share of nationally accredited child care centers.
1. Vermont has one of the lowest female unemployment rates in the US
Median women's salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $40,642
Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women's salary): 19.05%
Average length of a woman's work week: 35.10 hours
Parental leave ranking: 9
The Green Mountain State took the top spot yet again. Vermont offers working moms the highest number of per 100,000 residents, the lowest gender pay gap, and the lowest female unemployment rate in the US.
