Best & Worst States for Children’s Health Care (2026)

Keeping children healthy is both essential and costly. Fortunately, about 94% of children ages 0 to 18 have health insurance coverage to protect them when they become ill. However, high coverage rates have not necessarily reduced health care expenses for families. On average, workers contribute $6,850 per year toward employer-sponsored family health coverage. While some families receive assistance through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), many who do not qualify for government support continue to face financial strain especially amid significant inflation.

Cost, however, is not the only factor influencing children’s health care. The quality of the health care system and environmental conditions such as access to nutritious food and fluoridated water also play significant roles.

Because conditions vary widely by location, WalletHub analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia using 33 key indicators related to the cost, quality, and access to children’s health care. The data set includes measures ranging from the percentage of children ages 0 to 17 in excellent or very good health to the number of pediatricians and family doctors per capita.

Main Findings

Best States for Children’s Health

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

In-Depth Look at the Best States for Children’s Health

Massachusetts

Massachusetts is the best state for children’s health, with the sixth-highest percentage of children who had both a medical and a dental preventative care visit in the past 12 months. Access to preventative care helps children avoid serious medical issues and also minimizes costs for parents.

In the Bay State, only 1.6% of children lack health insurance, the lowest uninsured rate of any state. Massachusetts also has the third-lowest infant mortality rates in the country and the second-lowest death rates for children ages 14 and under.

In addition, children in Massachusetts drink soda at a lower rate than in any other state, which contributes to their health, especially their dental health.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island is the second-best state for children’s health care, and only 6.5% of residents have trouble paying their children’s medical bills, the second-lowest rate in the country. That’s due in part to the fact that Rhode Island has the sixth-lowest percentage of children who are uninsured. The Ocean State also has the second-highest number of children’s hospitals per capita and the eighth-lowest out-of-pocket costs for children’s health care.

Most importantly, Rhode Island has one of the lowest death rates for children under age 14, and one major contributing factor to that statistic is the fact that parents vaccinate their children at high rates. Over 80% of children 19-35 months old have the combined 7-vaccine series, which protects against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliovirus, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis b, Haemophilus influenzae type b, varicella, and pneumococcal infections, according to the CDC.

Connecticut

Connecticut ranks as the third-best state for children’s health care, thanks to its high number of pediatricians & family doctors per capita and the highest share of children 19-35 months old who have received the combined 7-vaccine series.

Connecticut promotes healthy diets, as the state has the 10th-lowest percentage of children who eat fruits less than once per day. The state also ranks fifth for access to healthy food in the country and has the fourth-lowest share of children without health insurance coverage.

In addition, Connecticut has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the nation, which is indicative of the state's robust newborn healthcare system. The state's dedication to child safety, wellbeing, and high-quality medical care is further evidenced by the fact that it has the lowest death rate for children under the age of 14.

The methodology can be found on the full version of the article on WalletHub.