With Father’s Day approaching, and 94.4% of married fathers working last year compared to 72.1% of married mothers, the personal-finance company WalletHub has released its report on 2026’s Best & Worst States for Working Dads, along with expert commentary.
To help fathers manage the demands of both parenting and providing, WalletHub evaluated all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia across 22 key indicators of how supportive each place is for working dads. The analysis includes factors such as average workday length for men, childcare costs, and the percentage of men in good or better health.
Best vs. Worst
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
To help fathers manage the demands of both parenting and providing, WalletHub evaluated all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia across 22 key indicators of how supportive each place is for working dads. The analysis includes factors such as average workday length for men, childcare costs, and the percentage of men in good or better health.
| Best States for Working Dads | Worst States for Working Dads |
| 1. Massachusetts | 42. South Carolina |
| 2. Connecticut | 43. Arkansas |
| 3. District of Columbia | 44. Arizona |
| 4. New Jersey | 45. Oklahoma |
| 5. Rhode Island | 46. West Virginia |
| 6. Minnesota | 47. Alabama |
| 7. New Hampshire | 48. Mississippi |
| 8. Virginia | 49. Nevada |
| 9. Vermont | 50. Louisiana |
| 10. Washington | 51. New Mexico |
Best vs. Worst
- Nebraska has the lowest unemployment rate for dads with kids aged 0 to 17 which is 3.4 times lower than in West Virginia, the highest.
- Massachusetts has the lowest male uninsured rate which is 5.7 times lower than in Texas, the highest.
- Mississippi has the lowest average annual early child-care costs (adjusted for median family income) which is two times lower than in New Mexico, the highest.
- Hawaii has the lowest share of men who couldn’t afford to see a doctor in the past year because of costs which is 2.5 times lower than in Tennessee, the highest.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
“Working dads have to worry about much more than just how much income they’re bringing home to support their kids. 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.”
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“Massachusetts is the best state for working dads, boasting the sixth-highest median household income for families with children under 18 and a father present, along with the third-lowest poverty rate for kids, at 5.1%. In addition, Massachusetts has the best parental leave policies of any state, the best school systems in the country and a relatively high number of child care workers per capita.”
- Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
What are the biggest issues facing working dads today?
“The single biggest hurdle facing working dads today is the intense mental stress of navigating a modern culture that demands deep emotional presence at home while maintaining traditional expectations of full-time corporate performance. Pew Research Center data shows that 50 percent of working fathers find it difficult to balance their job and family responsibilities. As standard work schedules collide with soccer practices and bedtime routines, a pervasive time deficit fuels a sense of parenting guilt, as highlighted by a Pew study revealing that 46 percent of working dads openly admit they do not spend enough time with their children.”
Andrew Burnstine, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Lynn University
What impact does working from home have on fathers’ role in caring for children and housework?
“Working from home acts as a powerful catalyst for parental equity by placing fathers directly inside the domestic sphere during active childcare hours and eliminating long commutes. Remote arrangements allow dads to take on a larger share of routine household chores and spontaneous child needs that historically fell entirely on mothers. Former New York Times reporter Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time, captures this shift perfectly, stating, ‘When men work from home, they see the invisible labor that keeps a family afloat, and they are much more likely to naturally step in and share that burden.’”
Andrew Burnstine, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Lynn University
Almost 1 in 5 stay-at-home parents are dads. What are the main reasons why dads choose to stay at home?
“While stay-at-home dads now account for 18 percent of all at-home parents, a deeper look at the data reveals that the primary drivers are a complex mix of personal choice, health circumstances, and macroeconomics. According to Pew Research Center studies, only 23 percent of stay-at-home fathers cite family caregiving as their primary reason for being home, which contrasts sharply with stay-at-home mothers. The largest single factor driving fathers to stay home is actually illness or disability at 34 percent, followed by 13 percent who are actively looking for work but cannot find open positions, and 8 percent who are currently attending school.”
Andrew Burnstine, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Lynn University
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