Mother’s Day 2026 ranking: Best and worst states for working moms

New England dominated a recently released ranking of places that provide the most opportunities for working mothers, with five states claiming the top six slots.

Heading into Mother’s Day, the researchers behind the list noted that nearly three-quarters of moms with children under 18 at home are also part of the workforce. Additionally, they noted, women often have to do it for a smaller paycheck, with women only earning approximately 82% of what their male counterparts do.

Why you should care:

The study, which was compiled by WalletHub, points out that disparities like those and others that working mothers face raise important questions about whether women are still expected to choose between raising a family and having a career.

The backstory:

WalletHub explained its researchers created this list to see how the challenges faced by mothers are being addressed. The survey weighs 17 metrics, which include factors like parental leave and legal protections as well as essential support systems, such as affordable child care and strong public schools.

What they're saying:

"The U.S. still has a lot of work to do when it comes to improving conditions for working moms, given the wage gap and the lack of representation women have in certain leadership positions. However, some states are significantly better than others," WalletHub analyst Chip Luo said.

He described the best states for working moms as those that "provide equitable pay for women and a strong potential for career advancement, along with robust parental leave policies and high-quality child care, health care, and schools."

By the numbers:

Connecticut claimed the number one slot overall and finished first in child care, according to the rankings. The latter position came partially because of its day care quality and share of child care centers that are nationally accredited. The state also has one of the smallest gender pay gaps, with women making nearly 90% of what men do and one of the lowest unemployment rates for women.

The full Top 5 were: 

1.) Connecticut

2.) Massachusetts

3.) Rhode Island

4.) New Jersey

5.) Vermont

At the other end of the spectrum was Louisiana, which finished 51st in a list that included every state and the District of Columbia. 

The full Bottom 5 were:

47. Nevada

48. Mississippi

49. New Mexico

50. Alabama

51. Louisiana

See how each state ranked:

Dig deeper:

While Connecticut took the honors overall, runner-up Massachusetts finished first for work-life balance. That ranking was more varied than many of the others, with states up and down the list taking single-digit rankings. Fifteenth-ranked Washington was second in that metric, while its neighbor Oregon (#22) finished fourth. The two northwestern states were split by Rhode Island, which was third overall and in work-life balance.

Maryland, which finished just outside the top ten, ranked first in professional opportunities available to working mothers. Connecticut held the second spot, while 26th-ranked Iowa came in third. 

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