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Print This PageKansas City, MO
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What's Good
- Missouri stands out in a measure of legislation related to cord blood education, research and related issues.
- Kansas City has lots of NICU beds, 144 percent more than average, 3rd highest in our survey.
- There's 81 percent more public park space than average here, relative to population.
- According to the Urban Mobility Report from Texas A&M University, Kansas City has one of the best commutes of any city in our survey. It takes only 11 percent longer to drive the same route during rush hour than in free-flowing traffic. That takes a lot of pressure off parents rushing to day care at the end of the day.
- Only 3 percent of pregnant women here receive late or inadequate prenatal care. That's the 9th best score in our survey.
Needs Improvement
- State laws require less-stringent day-care worker checks than most.
- The local climate can be extreme - not conducive to getting out and working off pregnancy weight gain.
- Missouri parents don't enjoy the same dependent-related tax breaks that parents in more generous states do.
- There are just 5 licensed day care centers for every 1,000 children under 4 years. That's 22 percent less than average.
- Once Kansas City mothers begin breastfeeding, they are 9 percent less likely than average to continue through 6 months. That's the 10th lowest level of follow-through of any city in our report.
- Missouri has no provisions for dependent related tax breaks.
- By six months of age, 67 percent of Kansas City babies aren't being breastfed at all. That's the 10th worst faring of any city in our report.
- The CDC reports very high infant mortality rates for Missouri.
- 66 percent of Kansas City mothers attempt breastfeeding. That's the 8th lowest percentage of any city in our report. Moms here are 11 percent less likely than average to try breastfeeding.
- Pedestrians have a 44 percent higher than average risk of being killed by a motor vehicle--among the most dangerous in our survey.
- 10.0 percent of Kansas City 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. That's among the bottom 34 percent of cities in our survey.
- Kansas City has only 6 licensed home day cares for every 1,000 children under 4 years, the 4th lowest in our survey.
- Just 2.0 percent of births statewide are attended by midwives. That's 73 percent less than average and the lowest of anywhere in our survey. Kansas City's violent crime rate is 48 percent higher than average, the 7th highest in our survey, in fact.
- Kansas City has a 41 percent higher property crime rate than average, the 2nd highest in our survey.
- Relative to population, Kansas City has fewer specialty retailers of healthy/organic foods and vitamins than most places in our survey.
- Women in Kansas City are 60 percent more likely than average to smoke during pregnancy. That's the 8th highest rate in our survey. Nationwide, about 1 out of every 12 pregnant women smokes.
