Guest Columnist

Diana Polk

2026’s Best & Worst States for Working Moms

With Mother’s Day approaching and 74% of women with children under 18 participating in the labor force in 2025, personal-finance company WalletHub has released its report on 202 6 ’s Best & Worst States for Working Moms, as well as expert commentary.

To highlight the states that offer the strongest support for mothers in the workforce, WalletHub analyzed all 50 states and the District of Columbia using 17 key metrics. The data set includes factors such as women’s median salaries, female unemployment rates, and the quality of day-care options.

Life as a Working Mom in California (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

Overall Rank: 30th

37th – Day-Care Quality

48th – Child-Care Costs (Adjusted for Median Women’s Salary)

13th – Pediatricians per Capita

5th – Gender Pay Gap (Women’s Earnings as % of Men’s)

33rd – Ratio of Female Executives to Male Executives

48th – Median Women’s Salary (Adjusted for Cost of Living)

48th – Female Unemployment Rate

6th – Parental-Leave Policy Score

16th – Avg. Length of Woman’s Work Week (in Hours)

15th – % of Single-Mom Families in Poverty