Maine Ranks in the Top 10 Best States for Working Moms

The ongoing challenge of affordable childcare continues. It's a daily struggle that affects families across the country, including here in Maine. With that said, this article may come as a little early Mother's Day gift, bringing a sigh of relief to working moms here in Maine.

According to WalletHub, Maine ranks at #10 as 2024’s Best States for Working Moms. A fair amount of data was used to come up with this information that was based on 17 key metrics, including the median salary for women workers, the female unemployment rate, and daycare quality.

A couple of the key factors for working moms were equitable pay and opportunities for career growth, which Maine delivers. This makes this state a promising environment for women to thrive professionally, while making it easier to balance mom responsibilities.

Maine also recognizes the importance of adequate parental leave policies. I have a friend that just had her first baby, and was give 14 weeks paid leave. Although employers will differ with what they offer for paid maternity leave, I was pleasantly surprised. This is clearly a company that values the importance of mothers having sufficient time to bond with their newborns without having the burden of financial stability hanging over their heads and requiring them to go back to work too soon. According to Zippa, the average paid maternity leave in the US is eight weeks, so 14 certainly appears to be on the generous side.

Although out of the budget for many, Maine also has a large amount of accredited childcare facilities, competitive healthcare coverage, and many great school systems throughout the state, which are also all factors in Maine ranking at #10.

As for the #1 best state for working moms? That would be our neighbors in Massachusetts.