BALTIMORE, MD—With Father’s Day approaching and 94.3% of married dads working last year compared to 72.3% of married moms, the personal-finance website WalletHub this week released its report on 2025’s Best & Worst States for Working Dads.
In order to help dads balance their dual role as parent and provider, WalletHub compared the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia across 22 key indicators of friendliness toward working dads. The data set ranges from the average length of the work day for men to child-care costs to the share of men in good or better health.
Maryland came in at No. 10 on the list. Massachusetts was No. 1 followed by Washington D.C. in second place.
Life as a Working Dad in Maryland (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
- Overall Rank: 10th
- 20th – Male Life Expectancy
- 11th – % of Kids Younger than 18 with Dad Present Living in Poverty
- 1st – Unemployment Rate for Dads with Kids Younger than 18
- 15th – Male Uninsured Rate
- 11th – Avg. Length of Work Day (in Hours) for Men
- 10th – % of Physically Active Men
- 20th – Child-Care Costs (Adjusted for Median Family* Income)
- 9th – Day-Care Quality
- Refers to families with kids aged 0 to 17 and in which the father is present
“Working dads have to worry about much more than just how much income they’re bringing home to support their kids,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “They also have to make sure that their children’s childcare and education are adequate, their health is properly looked after, and they get enough quality time with their father. The best states for working dads provide the conditions for all these needs to be met, while also helping dads maintain their own physical and mental health.”
“Massachusetts is the best state for working dads, boasting one of the lowest unemployment rates for fathers, at just 2.7%, along with the fourth-lowest poverty rate for kids, at 5.1%,” Lupo added. “In addition, Massachusetts has the best parental leave policies of any state, the best school systems in the country and a high number of child care workers per capita.”
The full study can be viewed online here at WalletHub.
More in the video below.
Image via Pixabay
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