Last week, the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, in collaboration with the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, released the much-anticipated 2026 Maternal Mental Health State Report Cards.
One in five mothers experience maternal mental health conditions in the United States. The financial toll of untreated disorders is estimated to cost the U.S. $14 billion annually. Beyond the financial burden there are real human costs. There are mothers struggling to heal, bond, and thrive under immense systemic pressure.
Released since 2023, the report card provides a vital look at how each state is progressing or areas for improvement for maternal mental health. The U.S. slightly improved nationally going from a “C-” score in 2025 to a “C” in 2026. While the overall national grade saw a slight improvement, the U.S. scored an equivalent of an “F” in a brand-new fourth domain measuring parental support.
The 2026 Report Cards track 27 measures across four updated domains: Screening/Detection, Providers and Treatment, Policy and Payment, and the new Parental Support category. Since 2023, state grades are incrementally moving in the right direction. For the first time since the report cards launched in 2023, no states received an “F” overall. In 2025, Alabama and Mississippi, had failing grades, but have improved to “Ds.” The number of states earning “B” grades more than doubled from 2025.
The state breakdowns (including DC) look like this:
- “A”: 0 states
- “B”: 11 states
- “C”: 25 states
- “D”: 15 states
- “F”: 0 states
The most significant update to the 2026 report card is the addition of the “Parental Support” domain. The Policy Center added six measures to evaluate states on their family leave and childcare policies. The six measures include:
- Public paid parental leave is available and is at least 8 weeks
- Public paid parental leave is at least 12 weeks
- Pay during leave is 100% of wages for the lowest income families
- Childcare availability
- Childcare affordability
- Eligibility for childcare subsidies is >=85% state median income
States were graded on a 5-star scale for Parental Support. Maine led the nation with a mere 3.5 stars. Thirty-one states earned less than 1 star.
Joy Burkhard, CEO of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health says that “While we applaud the progress states are making, the U.S. is providing mediocre maternal mental health care at best. It’s critical that mothers and families have adequate paid leave and child care, which is not only necessary for families to return to work if they choose to, but for women to heal from birth, attend medical and mental health appointments.”
Check out the full 2026 Maternal Mental Health State Report Cards and see where your state ranks.