Top 3 States for Working Moms in 2026, New Report Finds

Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island ranked as the top three places for working moms in the United States, according to a new WalletHub report.  The personal finance company compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 17 key metrics to rank the best and worst places for working mothers.

A Need for Better Support for Working Moms

Women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, and in 2025, about 74% of moms with children under 18 were employed. Yet working mothers still face steep challenges. 

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Women earn 82% of what men make per hour, and only 9.4% of S&P 500 CEOs are women. The gap raises a blunt question: are women still forced to choose between career and family?

Progress is uneven. Parental leave and legal protections vary by state, and access to affordable child care and strong public schools remains inconsistent nationwide. 

“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,” Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst, said. 

“However, some states are significantly better than others. The best states for working moms 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.” 

How The Analysis was Conducted

To see where working mothers have the best and worst opportunities, WalletHub compared states across 17 key metrics to rank the Best & Worst States for Working Moms.

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To determine the best and worst states for working moms, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: 1) Child Care, 2) Professional Opportunities, and 3) Work-Life Balance. 

Those dimensions used 17 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for working moms. Here is an in-depth look at the best three states for working moms

Connecticut

Connecticut ranked first as the best state for working mothers with a total score of 70.28. It also ranked number one for child care and second for professional opportunities.  Connecticut is great when it comes to childcare. It ranks among the top states for day care quality and the share of child care centers that are nationally accredited.

Meanwhile, the state of Connecticut is 8th for work-life balance and had some of the lowest unemployment rates for women last year, at just 2.7%. Lastly, it has good parental leave policies and is among the best places in the country for working from home. 

Massachusetts

Massachusetts ranks as the second-best state for working moms. It has one of the lowest shares of single moms with children under 18 living in poverty, reflecting a strong economic environment for families. The state also leads the country in parental leave policies, providing women with adequate time off after childbirth.  Work-life balance is another strength. 

The average woman in Massachusetts works about 35.6 hours per week, and the state is among the best for working from home, allowing moms to care for their kids while staying on the job.  Education matters too. The Bay State has the best public schools in the country, easing a major concern for working mothers.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island emerged as the third-best state for working moms. It has some of the lowest gender representation gaps in manufacturing and one of the highest ratios of female to male executives and senior managers, providing women with strong paths to advancement. 

The state also supports work-life balance. The average woman works about 35.5 hours per week, and Rhode Island ranks very highly for parental leave policies, allowing women to take time off after having a child. 

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Healthcare and childcare access are strong. Rhode Island has one of the highest numbers of pediatricians per capita for timely child healthcare, plus many childcare workers per capita, giving working moms reliable options during the day.

Click here to dive deep into the report.

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