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What's Good

•Compared to other states, California has among the most generous family-leave and disability laws in our survey.

•California allows greater dependent-related tax breaks than most.

•Long Beach babies are 20 percent less likely than average to be born with low birth weight.

•Babies here are 17 percent less likely than average to be born prematurely.

•Just 2 percent of pregnant women here receive late or inadequate prenatal care, the 1st best score in our survey. In the average city in our survey, 5 percent receive late or inadequate care.

•By six months of age, 52 percent of Long Beach babies are still being breastfed. That's the 9th highest percentage of any city in our report. The average for cities in our survey is 43 percent.

•California has particularly progressive laws guaranteeing a nursing mother the right to breastfeed in public.

•The local climate is especially mild - perfect for getting out and working off pregnancy weight gain.

•19.8 percent of Long Beach mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively (meaning no solids, formula or other liquids) for 6 months or longer as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, making it the 3rd highest scoring city in this category. The average for cities in our survey is 12 percent.

•California stands out in a measure of legislation related to cord blood education, research and related issues.

•Long Beach has 17 licensed home day cares for every 1,000 children under 4 years, the 10th highest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 13.

•Long Beach has a 52 percent lower property crime rate than average, the 4th lowest in our survey.

Needs Improvement

•Hospital costs here are among the highest in our survey.

•According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Long Beach is 46 percent less affordable than average for cities in our survey.

•At $111, the average doctor's office visit here is the 3rd highest in our survey, compared to a national average of $82.

•30 percent of babies in California are born via Cesarean section, among the highest in our survey. The average is 27 percent.

•Air quality here is worse here than most cities in our survey. Air quality has been linked to childhood asthma and fertility rates, among other things.

•Relative to population, Long Beach has fewer specialty retailers of healthy/organic foods and vitamins than most places in our survey.

•Long Beach has one doula for every 1,016 live births, the 7th lowest ratio in our survey. The national average is one doula per 649 live births.

•Long Beach has 6 midwives for every 1,000 births, the 6th lowest in our survey. The national average is 37 midwives for every 1,000 births.

•With one acre of parkland for every 164 residents, there's 39 percent less public park space than average here, relative to population.

•Long Beach has 11 lactation consultants for every 10,000 live births, the 10th lowest ratio in our survey. The average city in our survey has 23 lactation consultants per 10,000 live births.

•There are 65 percent fewer advanced fertility clinics per capita than average here, the 7th lowest ratio in our survey.

•Long Beach has a limited number of high-risk pediatricians, 98 percent less than average per capita and the 2nd lowest in our survey.

•Long Beach has fewer OB-GYNs than average, the 9th lowest in our survey.

•There are no state laws requiring day care workers to undergo special SIDS prevention training. Many other states mandate such training.

•In a comparison of inspection schedules for day-care centers, California requires less frequent visits than average.

•California devotes less money relative to population than most states to child car-seat-check stations.

•Pedestrians have an 876 percent higher than average risk of being killed by a motor vehicle here-among the most dangerous in our survey.

•According to the Urban Mobility Report from Texas A&M University, Long Beach has one of the worst commutes of any city in our survey. It takes 75 percent longer to drive the same route during rush hour than in free-flowing traffic. That puts a lot more pressure on parents rushing to day care at the end of the day.