WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida is one of the worst states in the country to have a baby, according to a new ConsumerAffairs report that points to a broader Southern divide in maternal health care, affordability and family support.

The report, “The Best and Worst States to Have a Baby in 2026,” ranked Florida sixth-worst nationwide. Only West Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Georgia scored lower. Alaska, Nevada, Alabama and Texas rounded out the bottom 10.

ConsumerAffairs analyzed all 50 states and Washington, D.C., using a weighted score based on four categories: maternal health care access, childbirth affordability, postpartum and family support, and maternal and infant health outcomes.

The findings place Florida in a regional pattern. Eight of the 10 lowest-ranked states were in the South, while many of the highest-ranked states were in the Northeast. New Hampshire ranked No. 1 overall, followed by Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The report said states near the bottom often struggled across multiple measures, including access to maternal care, the cost of giving birth, postpartum support systems and outcomes for mothers and infants.

“Geography alone is not the problem,” Dr. Sonal Patel, a pediatrician and founder of NayaCare, told ConsumerAffairs. “The ‘why’ behind these access gaps is structural.”

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ConsumerAffairs also cited experts who said access to hospitals, clinics and providers is only part of the picture. Environmental conditions, hospital maternity ward closures, provider shortages and gaps in family support can all shape the health of pregnant people and babies.

At the national level, the report found that the average cost to deliver a baby was $16,495 for in-network care and $35,378 for out-of-network childbirth. Those figures include delivery services as well as costs such as anesthesia, ultrasounds and lab work.

While the report did not single out Florida in its cost section, it found that childbirth affordability varies sharply by state and can differ even among hospitals in the same city, depending on insurance networks and hospital market dynamics.

Florida’s low ranking also comes as advocates continue to push for broader paid family leave in the state. Florida does not have a statewide paid family leave program covering private-sector workers, leaving many new parents dependent on federal unpaid leave protections, employer policies or accrued paid time off.

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The report’s authors said their rankings are not meant to suggest that healthy pregnancies and births cannot happen in lower-ranked states. Rather, they argue the data shows that where a family lives can affect the level of support available before, during and after childbirth.

For Florida families, the report adds another data point to an ongoing debate over maternal health care access, insurance costs and support for new parents in one of the nation’s fastest-growing states.