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What's Good

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

•10.0 percent of births statewide are attended by midwives, compared to a national average of 7.3 percent.

•With one acre of parkland for every 36 residents, there's 70 percent more public park space than average here, relative to population.

•Charlotte has 41 lactation consultants for every 10,000 live births, the 5th highest ratio in our survey. The average city in our survey has 23 lactation consultants per 10,000 live births.

•Day-care centers in Charlotte are required by state law to meet special requirements aimed at reducing the risk of SIDS. Many cities and states have less-stringent or no SIDS-prevention programs for day-cares.

Needs Improvement

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

•According to data from the CDC, maternal mortality in North Carolina is especially high.

•By six months of age, 66 percent of Charlotte babies aren't being breastfed at all. That's the 11th poorest percentage of any city in our report. The average for cities in our survey is 57 percent.

•6.9 percent of Charlotte 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 5th lowest percentage among cities in our survey. The average for cities in our survey is 12 percent.

•Once Charlotte mothers begin breastfeeding, they are 15 percent less likely than average to continue through 6 months. That's the 7th lowest level of follow-through of any city in our report.

•State laws do not require health insurance companies to provide or offer any fertility-related services.

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

•Charlotte has a 38 percent higher property crime rate than average, the 4th highest in our survey.

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