Photos: Ten worst states for working moms -- and why Colorado is on the list

We're accustomed to Colorado winding up toward the top of lists that rank the best, the top, the finest, the most excellent. But when it comes to the WalletHub.com roster of the best and worst states for working moms, Colorado finishes in the bottom ten. Why? We've got the photo-illustrated...

By Michael Roberts

May 13, 2014

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We're accustomed to Colorado winding up toward the top of lists that rank the best, the top, the finest, the most excellent. But when it comes to the WalletHub.com roster of the best and worst states for working moms, Colorado finishes in the bottom ten.

Why? We've got the photo-illustrated list below, complete with WalletHub.com data, graphics and descriptions of the metrics used to determine the order of finish. Count down the bottom ten below and click to see the original report.

Note: Child care rankings determined by:

Day-care quality rankings Child-care costs adjusted for the median woman's salary Access to pediatric services (number of pediatricians per 100,000 residents) Public-school quality

Tenth worst state: Pennsylvania

Child care rank: 43

Professional opportunities rank: 22

Work-life balance rank: 24

Ninth worst state: Missouri

Child care rank: 32

Professional opportunities rank: 38

Work-life balance rank: 38

Continue to keep counting down the ten worst states for working moms. Note: Professional opportunities rank determined by:

Gender pay gap (women's earnings as a percentage of men's)

Ratio of female-to-male executives

Eighth worst state: Colorado

Child care rank: 42

Professional opportunities rank: 37

Work-life balance rank: 22

Seventh worst state: Kansas

Child care rank: 40

Professional opportunities rank: 45

Work-life balance rank: 26

Continue to keep counting down the ten worst states for working moms. Note: Work-life balance rank determined by:

Parental-leave policy score

Length of the average woman's workday

Average commute time

Sixth worst state: Nevada

Child care rank: 51

Professional opportunities rank: 14

Work-life balance rank: 47

Fifth worst state: South Carolina

Child care rank: 48

Professional opportunities rank: 31

Work-life balance rank: 38

Continue to keep counting down the ten worst states for working moms. Note: This graphic illustrates another WalletHub.com finding: Fourth worst state: Idaho

Child care rank: 44

Professional opportunities rank: 48

Work-life balance rank: 13

Third worst state: Wyoming

Child care rank: 44

Professional opportunities rank: 44

Work-life balance rank: 31

Continue to keep counting down the ten worst states for working moms. Second worst state: Mississippi

Child care rank: 35

Professional opportunities rank: 47

Work-life balance rank: 48

Worst state: Louisiana

Child care rank: 50

Professional opportunities rank: 50

Work-life balance rank: 35

Here are some other results from the survey:

Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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