CBS Detroit - The website Business.org just released a list of which states are best for working parents. Their methodology was based on which states offer full legal protections for parents in regard to paid family leave and medical leave, gross rent compared to income, job-protected leave, and unemployment rates from September 2019 to 2020 to reflect the pandemic.
The idea behind their ratings is that states who offer more legal protections to parents and income to rent ratios which make housing more affordable, make it so parents can spend more time with their children. Job stability, in terms of unemployment rates, played into that as well. According to Business.org, states with lower income-to-rent ratios scored higher.
Michigan is ranked 45th on their list. With a 29% Rent as a percentage of household income, a +4.6% 2019-2020 unemployment change, and no paid family, medical, or job-protected leaves beyond federal minimums. The District of Columbia, Washington, New Jersey, Iowa, and New York made the top five. Nevada came in dead-last due to a high cost of living, high unemployment, and no laws for parents and families besides federal FMLA statutes.
The Best & Worst States For Working Parents
Rank
|
State
|
Rent as a percentage of household income
|
2019-2020 unemployment rate change
|
Paid family leave
|
Paid medical leave
|
Job-protected leave
|
---|
1 |
District of Columbia |
27.1% |
+3.4% |
√ |
√ |
√ |
2 |
Washington |
29% |
+3.7% |
√ |
√ |
√ |
3 |
New Jersey |
29.6% |
+3.1% |
√ |
√ |
√ |
4 |
Iowa |
26.5% |
+1.9% |
X |
X |
√ |
5 |
New York |
30.1% |
+5.8% |
√ |
√ |
√ |
6 |
Massachusetts |
29.5% |
+6.8% |
√ |
√ |
√ |
7 |
Rhode Island |
29.5% |
+7% |
√ |
√ |
√ |
8 |
Montana |
27.9% |
+1.8% |
X |
X |
√ |
9 |
Minnesota |
27.6% |
+2.8% |
X |
X |
√ |
10 |
Maine |
28.1% |
+3.2% |
X |
X |
√ |
11 |
California |
31.7% |
+7.1% |
√ |
√ |
√ |
12 |
Wisconsin |
26.8% |
+2.0% |
X |
X |
X |
13 |
New Hampshire |
28.9% |
+3.4% |
X |
X |
√ |
14 |
North Dakota |
24.1% |
+2.0% |
X |
X |
X |
15 |
South Dakota |
25.2% |
+0.7% |
X |
X |
X |
16 |
Nebraska |
26.3% |
+0.5% |
X |
X |
X |
17 |
Connecticut |
29.6% |
+4.1% |
X |
X |
√ |
18 |
Oregon |
29.4% |
+4.5% |
X |
X |
√ |
19 |
Louisiana |
31.2% |
+3.0% |
X |
X |
√ |
20 |
Kentucky |
27% |
+1.3% |
X |
X |
X |
21 |
Alaska |
27.6% |
+1.0% |
X |
X |
X |
22 |
Kansas |
26.4% |
+2.8% |
X |
X |
X |
23 |
Missouri |
27.5 |
+1.6% |
X |
X |
X |
24 |
Oklahoma |
27.2% |
+2.0% |
X |
X |
X |
25 |
Wyoming |
27.3% |
+2.4% |
X |
X |
X |
26 |
Utah |
27.7% |
+2.5% |
X |
X |
X |
27 |
Maryland |
29.9% |
+3.7% |
X |
X |
√ |
28 |
Arkansas |
27.2% |
+3.7% |
X |
X |
X |
29 |
Arizona |
28.6% |
+2.1% |
X |
X |
X |
30 |
Mississippi |
29.2% |
+1.5% |
X |
X |
X |
31 |
Indiana |
28.1% |
+3.0% |
X |
X |
X |
32 |
Vermont |
32% |
+1.8% |
X |
X |
√ |
33 |
Idaho |
28% |
+3.2% |
X |
X |
X |
34 |
Ohio |
27.2% |
+4.3% |
X |
X |
X |
35 |
Tennessee |
28.5% |
+3.0% |
X |
X |
X |
36 |
West Virginia |
28.2% |
+3.6% |
X |
X |
X |
37 |
Virginia |
28.3% |
+3.5% |
X |
X |
X |
38 |
South Carolina |
29% |
+2.7% |
X |
X |
X |
39 |
North Carolina |
28.4% |
+3.6% |
X |
X |
X |
40 |
Pennsylvania |
28.6% |
+3.5% |
X |
X |
X |
41 |
Alabama |
28.7% |
+3.9% |
X |
X |
X |
42 |
Georgia |
29.3% |
+3.2% |
X |
X |
X |
43 |
New Mexico |
28.4% |
+4.6% |
X |
X |
X |
44 |
Hawaii |
32% |
+12.4% |
X |
√ |
√ |
45 |
Michigan |
29% |
+4.6% |
X |
X |
X |
46 |
Texas |
29.2% |
+4.8% |
X |
X |
X |
47 |
Colorado |
30% |
+3.8% |
X |
X |
X |
48 |
Delaware |
29.7% |
+4.3% |
X |
X |
X |
49 |
Illinois |
28.1% |
+6.5% |
X |
X |
X |
50 |
Florida |
33.1% |
+4.7% |
X |
X |
X |
51 |
Nevada |
30.5% |
+8.9% |
X |
X |
X |
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