Labor and delivery hospitals in South Carolina do not rate well. Unfortunately, in a WalletHub list of “Best and Worst States to Have a Baby in 2026”, South Carolina has ranked one of the worst.
In a list of all fifty states and the District of Columbia, South Carolina ranks 46th out of 51– only Nevada, New Mexico, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi are worse. South Carolina’s labor and delivery hospitals ranked 49th in 2022, which implies that there has been little improvement. When ranking the states and the District of Columbia, WalletHub looked at four major categories:
Each category has specific subcategories to make judgements more concrete, such as average cost of conventional-delivery charges, infant mortality rate, and child-care centers per capita. Each metric was scored 1 to 100, with number 100 providing the best care when it came to expectant mothers and newborn children. South Carolina scored consistently low in the four main categories.
Prisma Health and MUSC Health networks are rated high for low C-section rates and safety by
Childbirth can be very expensive, especially if there are any complications. The cost of having a child in a hospital also varies depending on whether the parent has insurance or not. In South Carolina, the average cost of labor and delivery without insurance is currently over $27,000 (Cost of Giving Birth Tracker). However, the initial costs of having a baby aren’t the only things parents should worry about when it comes to raising a family. Access to healthcare, infant-care costs, and finding a pediatrician are also important to consider when choosing where to have a child.
South Carolina wasn’t the only southern state to do poorly on this list. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Southern region of the US consists of 16 states, making it the largest region in the US. The 16 states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Of the 16 states in the southern region, only the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia were in the top half of the rankings.
The top three on the list were Massachusetts, Minnesota, and North Dakota, all from the northeast region.
From 2010 to 2024, the fertility rate in South Carolina has gone from 62.8 percent to 55.5 percent– a 7.3 percent decrease (Fertility Rate in SC). If the population is to grow and for people to feel safe having children in this state, there must be improvements made in this area of the healthcare industry. If not, the birth rate may continue to dwindle, leading to a decline in population and other complications.
If you or someone you care about has suffered because of medical negligence, please schedule your free consultation by contacting The Law Offices of David L. Hood by phone, text, chat, or email today!
We know how difficult it can be to deal with the immediate and long-term effects of a serious birth injury. At The Law Offices of David L. Hood, we work hard to make things simple for you. After a free case evaluation, if we believe we can help you and your family, Birth Injury Lawyer David L. Hood, co-counsel, and our team of experts will vigorously pursue your case to get you the best result we can achieve. Let us put our years of experience to work for you!
