NY ranks among best states for working moms, but one major cost stands out

New York is among the best states for working moms, a WalletHub studyrevealed.

According to WalletHub, women make up around half of the workforce, and in 2025, around 74% of moms with children under 18-years-old were employed. However, the study states that mothers often face many challenges in the workforce.

For example, WalletHub states that women make about 82% of what men make per hour on average, creating a financial disparity that could put an extra strain on working moms. Other issues that can factor into the success and opportunities for working moms could vary from state to state, depending on things like child care access, parental leave policies and good public schools.

"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 Lupo said. "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."

WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 17 metrics to determine which are the best and worst states for working moms.

Here is what to know about New York's ranking.

Why is NY a good state for working moms?

New York State is among the top 10 best states for working moms, according to WalletHub. The Empire State scored the No. 9 spot, with an overall score of 53.37.

NY scored the No. 12 spot for the child care rank and offers the second-best daycare systems in the country, the study found. That being said, New York was also ranked to have the highest childcare costs in the country compared to the percentage of the median women's income.

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The Empire State ranked No. 12 for work-life balance and No. 33 for the professional opportunities rank.

WalletHub's top 10 best states for working moms

1. Connecticut

2. Massachusetts

3. Rhode Island

4. New Jersey

5. Vermont

6. Maine

7. Minnesota

8. District of Columbia

9. New York

10. North Dakota

WalletHub's 10 worst states for working moms

• No. 51: Louisiana

• No. 50: Alabama

• No. 49: New Mexico

• No. 48: Mississippi

• No. 47: Nevada

• No. 46: Arizona

• No. 45: South Carolina

• No. 44: West Virginia

• No. 43: Texas

• No. 42: Idaho

How WalletHub assessed best and worst states for working moms

To determine the best and worst states for working moms, WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across three dimensions: child care, professional opportunities and work-life balance.

Thechild carecategory analyzed these factors:

• Daycare quality

• Child care costs

• Pediatricians per capita

• School system quality

• Share of nationally accredited child care centers

• Number of childcare workers per total number of children

Theprofessional opportunitiesrank analyzed these categories:

• Gender pay gap

• Ratio of female executives to male executives

• Median women's salary

• Share of working women living with economic security

• Share of families in poverty

• Female unemployment rate

• Gender representation gap in different economic sectors

• WalletHub's "Best states for working at home" ranking

Thework-life balancecategory analyzed these factors:

• Parental leave policy score

• Average length of a woman's work week

• Women's average commute time.

Data used to create the ranking was collected as of March 30, 2026, and was sourced from multiple entities, including WalletHub research, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Institute for Women's Policy Research, the National Partnership for Women & Families and Child Care Aware of America.

—Madison Scottis a New York Connect reporter, covering entertainment, breaking and consumer news, and trending topics with a focus on stories that matter to readers across New York state. She also has an interest in how the system helps or doesn't helpfamilies with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@USATodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News:NY among top states for working moms, WalletHub study finds