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Study ranks S.C. as 3rd-worst state to have a baby

Staff Report //August 13, 2018//

Study ranks S.C. as 3rd-worst state to have a baby

Staff Report //August 13, 2018//

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A study by personal finance website Wallethub found South Carolina is the third-worst state in the nation in which to have a baby.

The study compared 26 areas of cost and health care accessibility ranging from delivery charges to pediatricians per capita. With a total score of 27.53, South Carolina ranked ahead of only Mississippi and Alabama.

The Palmetto State ranked 34th in cost and 48th in health care. It ranked 49th in a baby-friendliness category and 44th in family-friendliness.

South Carolina’s parental leave policy score ranked 40th, while its low birth weight rate was 45th. The state’s infant mortality rate ranked 38th and its conventional delivery charges ranked 25th.

Vermont ranked first in the country with a total score of 69.61, followed by Massachusetts and Minnesota.