Which are the best, worst states for children's health care?
WalletHub has compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 33 key indicators of cost, quality and access to children’s health care to determine which are the best states for children's health care.
The data set ranges from the share of children aged 0 to 17 in excellent or very good health to pediatricians and family doctors per capita.
“The quality of children’s health care should be one of the most important considerations for parents when deciding where to live," said Chip Lupo, a WalletHub Analyst. "Having access to quality pediatric and dental care, nutritious food and good spaces for recreation from a young age can give children a much better chance of growing up healthy and forming good habits that will last into their adult life.”
[Reead more: Which are the best states for children's health care?]
Best States for Children’s Health
Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Kids’ Health & Access to Health Care Rank | Kids’ Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity Rank | Kids’ Oral Health Rank |
| 1 | Massachusetts | 67.31 | 2 | 1 | 20 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 64.88 | 1 | 7 | 16 |
| 3 | New Jersey | 63.15 | 4 | 3 | 51 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | 61.45 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| 5 | Vermont | 61.25 | 3 | 28 | 3 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | 60.52 | 5 | 27 | 1 |
| 7 | Hawaii | 60.23 | 6 | 21 | 42 |
| 8 | New York | 60.19 | 10 | 12 | 21 |
| 9 | Connecticut | 60.10 | 7 | 18 | 29 |
| 10 | California | 59.67 | 11 | 13 | 24 |
| 11 | Maryland | 59.46 | 9 | 20 | 36 |
| 12 | Washington | 59.03 | 14 | 4 | 46 |
| 13 | Minnesota | 58.19 | 17 | 5 | 32 |
| 14 | Illinois | 57.16 | 12 | 32 | 2 |
| 15 | Utah | 57.11 | 22 | 2 | 48 |
| 16 | Delaware | 56.56 | 18 | 15 | 15 |
| 17 | Colorado | 55.80 | 29 | 6 | 13 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 55.51 | 13 | 38 | 27 |
| 19 | Nebraska | 55.41 | 21 | 22 | 9 |
| 20 | Iowa | 55.12 | 19 | 24 | 14 |
| 21 | Virginia | 55.11 | 16 | 26 | 38 |
| 22 | Oregon | 54.50 | 28 | 10 | 12 |
| 23 | Michigan | 54.29 | 27 | 19 | 8 |
| 24 | Idaho | 54.27 | 15 | 37 | 26 |
| 25 | New Mexico | 53.87 | 24 | 25 | 5 |
| 26 | Missouri | 53.24 | 31 | 14 | 39 |
| 27 | Ohio | 52.55 | 20 | 42 | 22 |
| 28 | South Dakota | 52.02 | 26 | 30 | 28 |
| 29 | South Carolina | 52.00 | 25 | 33 | 23 |
| 30 | Indiana | 51.98 | 33 | 23 | 34 |
| 31 | North Dakota | 51.35 | 36 | 17 | 4 |
| 32 | Alabama | 50.33 | 23 | 47 | 31 |
| 33 | Montana | 50.22 | 39 | 11 | 43 |
| 34 | Nevada | 49.91 | 30 | 36 | 49 |
| 35 | Tennessee | 49.56 | 32 | 44 | 25 |
| 36 | Florida | 49.55 | 41 | 16 | 45 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | 49.28 | 46 | 9 | 18 |
| 38 | Kentucky | 48.75 | 34 | 45 | 11 |
| 39 | Georgia | 48.60 | 37 | 34 | 7 |
| 40 | Kansas | 47.88 | 42 | 29 | 19 |
| 41 | North Carolina | 47.83 | 35 | 35 | 41 |
| 42 | Louisiana | 46.28 | 40 | 41 | 47 |
| 43 | Maine | 45.71 | 38 | 51 | 17 |
| 44 | Arkansas | 45.61 | 44 | 43 | 37 |
| 45 | West Virginia | 45.32 | 43 | 48 | 10 |
| 46 | Arizona | 44.76 | 47 | 40 | 30 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | 43.49 | 45 | 46 | 50 |
| 48 | Alaska | 43.05 | 48 | 50 | 33 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 41.80 | 49 | 39 | 44 |
| 50 | Texas | 40.72 | 50 | 31 | 40 |
| 51 | Mississippi | 37.83 | 51 | 49 | 35 |
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.
In-Depth Look at the Best States for Children’s Health:
Massachusetts:
Massachusetts is the best state for children’s health, with the fourth-highest percentage of children who had both a medical and a dental preventative care visit in the past 12 months. Access to preventative care helps children avoid serious medical issues and also minimizes costs for parents.
In the Bay State, only 1.5% of children lack health insurance, the lowest uninsured rate of any state. Massachusetts also has the lowest infant mortality rates in the country and one of the lowest death rates for children ages 14 and under.
In addition, children in Massachusetts drink soda at a lower rate than in any other state, which contributes to their health, especially their dental health.
[Read more: Which cities are the healthiest?]
Rhode Island:
Rhode Island is the second-best state for children’s health care, and only 5.6% of residents have trouble paying their children’s medical bills, the lowest rate in the country. That’s due in part to the fact that Rhode Island has the fifth-lowest percentage of children who are uninsured. The Ocean State also has the second-highest number of children’s hospitals per capita and the seventh-lowest out-of-pocket costs for children’s health care.
Most importantly, Rhode Island has one of the lowest death rates for children under age 14, and one major contributing factor to that statistic is the fact that parents vaccinate their children at high rates. Nearly 86% of children 19-35 months old have the combined 7-vaccine series, which protects against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliovirus, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis b, Haemophilus influenzae type b, varicella and pneumococcal infections, according to the CDC.
New Jersey:
New Jersey ranks as the third-best state for children’s health care, thanks to its high number of children's hospitals per capita and one of the lowest cost of a doctor’s visit in the country.
New Jersey promotes healthy diets, as the state has the sixth-lowest percentage of children who eat vegetables less than once per day. The state also has the third-lowest rate of students drinking soda daily. These factors have contributed to New Jersey having the third-lowest share of children who are overweight in the country.
In addition, New Jersey has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the nation, which is indicative of the state's robust newborn healthcare system. The state's dedication to child safety, wellbeing, and high-quality medical care is further evidenced by the fact that it has the lowest death rate for children under the age of 14.