Massachusetts is reportedly among the best U.S. states for working parents.
Massachusetts ranked sixth among all 50 states and the District of Columbia with a 29.5% average of rent as a percentage of household income, according to a recent study conducted by Business.org. The states also had a +6.8% average of 2019-20 unemployment rate change.
Massachusetts is also among states that offer paid family, paid medical leave and job-protected leave. Business.org said it aimed to use data that might indicate parents in the area had more free time to spend with their children.
The website said it also looked for states that offered family-friendly legal protections, which included paid family, medical and job-protected leave. Additionally, the study aimed to see which states offered the best ratio of income to housing costs based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The study weighed the data to prioritize the most important factors based on the following data:
- Gross rent as a percentage of household income (2019): 30%
- Unemployment rate change (Sept. 2019-Sept. 2020): 30%
- Paid family leave: 10%
- Paid medical leave: 10%
- Job-protected leave (lower employer size threshold): 10%
- Job-protected leave (lower employee tenure/hours worked requirement): 10%
The study also focused on which lower-to-rent ratios and unemployement rates were preferable, which saw states with lower numbers receive a higher score.
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