The Best and Worst States to Raise a Child in 2026, According to New Study

Study courtesy of Go Au Pair.

A new study has revealed the best and worst states in America to raise a child in 2026, analyzing everything from school quality and childcare access to pediatric care, safety, air quality, and family lifestyle.

Researchers at Go Au Pair compared all 50 states across 18 metrics grouped into four key categories: education and childcare, child health and medical access, safety and mental well-being, and community, environment and lifestyle. The study looked beyond schools alone, factoring in issues parents face every day, including childcare costs, access to doctors, online safety, parks, commute times, and whether families have enough support at home.

Vermont:

Ranks as the best state to raise a child in 2026, standing out most for health care access and child well-being. The state has the highest number of pediatricians and psychologists per child in the study, while also tying for the lowest share of uninsured children. Vermont also reports one of the lowest child mortality rates and the lowest level of physical inactivity among children, making it one of the strongest states for both medical support and healthy lifestyles.

Massachusetts:

Follows in second place, driven by its strong education system and health outcomes. The state ranks third for school-system quality and has the lowest child mortality rate in the country. It also performs strongly for childcare center access, psychologists, low uninsured rates, and low exposure to smokers at home. However, childcare remains a major pressure point, with costs taking up a high share of annual family income.

New Hampshire:

Takes third, with some of the strongest results for family stability and child health. Parents in New Hampshire are among the least likely to change or quit jobs due to childcare problems, while the state also ranks second-lowest for child mortality and fourth for psychologist access. Its shortfall is more visible in healthcare affordability, where a higher share of families report struggling with costs.

Rhode Island and Minnesota:

Rounds out the top five. Rhode Island performs especially well for pediatrician access, healthcare affordability, low uninsured rates, psychologists, and access to parks and playgrounds. Minnesota stands out for childcare center availability, low uninsured rates, strong psychologist access, and a high share of children living near parks or playgrounds, although childcare costs remain among the most expensive in the country.

Wyoming:

Ranks sixth and is the best-performing state for education and childcare as a category. It benefits from affordable childcare, strong childcare center access, short commute times, clean air, and high park access. Connecticut places seventh, helped by the second-best school-system quality ranking and the highest childcare center availability in the study. Iowa, South Dakota, and Maine complete the top 10, with Iowa and South Dakota standing out for affordability, short commutes, and low child inactivity, while Maine performs well for pediatricians, psychologists, childcare workers, and emotional support for parents.

At the other end of the ranking, Texas is named the worst state to raise a child in 2026. The state struggles most in child health and medical access, ranking last in that overall category. Texas also has one of the lowest rates of pediatricians per child, one of the highest shares of uninsured children, and a high share of families struggling to afford healthcare. Despite performing relatively well for low bullying rates and fewer children living with smokers, the state’s weak medical access and child inactivity figures pull it down.

Nevada:

Ranks second-worst, with major issues across education, childcare, and healthcare affordability. The state ranks near the bottom for school-system quality, childcare costs, childcare worker availability, and parents changing or quitting jobs due to childcare. However, Nevada does have some positives, including strong park access, low bullying rates, and one of the best air pollution rankings in the study.

West Virginia, Florida, and Louisiana:

Makes up the rest of the bottom five. West Virginia struggles with school-system quality, childcare worker availability, park access, and children living in households with smokers. Florida ranks poorly for pediatrician access, online crimes against children, child inactivity, and parents leaving or changing jobs due to childcare. Louisiana performs worst for childcare center availability and has one of the highest child mortality rates in the country, despite ranking well for childcare affordability and healthcare affordability.

Full rankings by category:

Rank	State	Education & Childcare	Child Health & Medical Access	Safety & Mental Well-Being	Community, Environment & Lifestyle	Total Score
1	Vermont	26	1	11	18	64.60
2	Massachusetts	22	3	7	12	62.38
3	New Hampshire	6	4	3	21	61.75
4	Rhode Island	28	2	46	10	58.59
5	Minnesota	17	12	8	9	57.61
6	Wyoming	1	37	19	2	57.29
7	Connecticut	3	7	35	23	56.92
8	Iowa	11	18	13	6	56.54
9	South Dakota	5	43	4	5	56.40
10	Maine	13	10	10	22	56.17
11	Nebraska	2	28	29	7	54.84
12	Idaho	23	29	1	13	54.73
13	North Dakota	10	25	32	4	54.11
14	Washington	31	6	21	19	53.90
15	Utah	36	35	6	1	52.90
16	New Jersey	4	16	26	30	52.73
17	Colorado	39	21	22	3	52.24
18	California	30	9	38	16	51.86
19	Pennsylvania	8	15	25	29	51.51
20	Delaware	25	8	9	39	51.34
21	Kansas	24	34	12	11	49.62
22	New York	9	5	47	31	48.97
23	Virginia	16	17	42	25	48.38
24	Montana	41	26	14	14	47.20
25	New Mexico	46	13	23	8	47.04
26	Wisconsin	29	27	27	24	46.79
27	Michigan	18	14	44	27	46.78
28	Illinois	27	19	41	26	46.39
29	Missouri	21	32	18	28	45.87
30	Tennessee	20	30	24	43	42.80
31	Indiana	14	33	40	32	42.34
32	North Carolina	37	22	33	37	42.32
33	Maryland	38	24	36	36	41.65
34	Georgia	12	39	37	42	41.24
35	Kentucky	7	42	31	45	41.20
36	Arizona	45	41	15	20	41.16
37	Ohio	43	23	17	33	40.95
38	South Carolina	35	44	5	41	40.87
39	Arkansas	19	45	20	40	40.57
40	Oregon	47	11	48	17	40.28
41	Alabama	33	31	16	46	40.03
42	Mississippi	15	46	2	48	38.97
43	Oklahoma	42	40	34	35	37.35
44	Louisiana	34	36	30	47	37.09
45	Florida	40	38	43	38	35.73
46	West Virginia	44	20	39	44	35.20
47	Nevada	48	47	28	15	33.52
48	Texas	32	48	45	34	33.24

Note: With the exception of Total Score, all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.