The best states for working moms in 2021, ranked

Moms are the ones who can do it all. They’re superheroes – they drop their kids off at school, work a 9-5 job, and be home to brush their child’s teeth and get them into bed before 8 p.m.

Arguably one of the most challenging parts of being a supermom is maintaining a work-life balance. While there are working moms across the country, there are a few states that are ranked the best for working moms for a handful of reasons. With women making up nearly half of the U.S. workforce and 66% of moms with children under 18 working during the COVID pandemic, working mothers are a key part of the workforce, but face many challenges — such as an average hourly wage on 85% of what men make.

Considering multiple factors, such as parental leave policies and day-care costs, WalletHub created a list of the top 17 best places for working moms to live.

1. Childcare

One important factor the top five states have in common is the childcare piece. A lower ranking number signifies better conditions in that category. What’s interesting about these findings is that the lowest costs tend to be in conservative states.

Some of the lowest childcare costs consist of Mississippi, Missouri, South Dakota, South Carolina and Illinois. On the flip side, some of the highest childcare costs are in Nevada, California, Washington, Massachusetts and Nebraska.

2. Day care quality

Another factor used to rank states is the quality of the day care system. New York and Washington ranked within the top two, with North Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas all tying for third.

Last place was handed out to Alabama, Louisiana, California, Nebraska and Idaho.

3. Gender pay gap

The pay gap and women’s equality in the workplace have been around for decades, but some states are reducing the wage gap better than others.

District of Columbia, Maryland, and California made the top three of the lowest gender pay gap, with Massachusetts and Vermont tied for fourth.

Some of the highest wage gaps are in North Dakota, Utah, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana and Wyoming.

4. Female executive to male executive

Lastly, we have female executive to male executive ratio.

The best states in this category are District of Columbia, South Dakota, Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island. The worst being Wyoming, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina and Utah.

Conclusions

Based off all the data and rankings, what conclusions can be made? WalletHub says that red states tend to be friendlier towards working moms. Again, the lower the score, the more ideal it is for mothers.

WalletHub reported that 40.04 was the average rank for red states, and 48.88 for blue. The largest factors in the study were childcare, professional opportunities and work-life balance.

However, this is one statistic all moms have in common – no matter what state they live in, they all rank as a perfect ‘1’ for being boss ladies on a daily basis.