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What's Good

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

•Expecting and new moms have plenty of parks: Washington's ratio of parks to residents is 1 : 1,746. The average in our survey is 1 : 3,790.

•There are 55 percent more advanced fertility clinics per capita than average here, the 7th highest ratio in our survey. The national average is one clinic for every 4,298 people.

•There are 2 percent more fertility doctors per capita here than average-the 5th highest ratio in our survey.

•Washington has 7.7 NICU facilities per 10,000 births, 3rd highest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 3.4 NICU facilities per 10,000 live births.

•Washington has plenty of high-risk pediatricians, 148 percent more than average per capita and the 2nd highest in our survey.

•There are 10.3 licensed day care centers for every 1,000 children under 4 years. The average city in our survey has 5.9.

•Washington DC devotes more money relative to population than most states to child car-seat-check stations.

•Washington has a 20 percent lower property crime rate than average, the 10th lowest in our survey.

Needs Improvement

•According to data from the CDC, maternal mortality in Washington DC is especially high.

•At $93, the average doctor's office visit here is the 10th highest in our survey, compared to a national average of $82.

•According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Washington is 26 percent less affordable than average for cities in our survey.

•The CDC reports very high infant mortality rates for Washington DC.

•Washington babies are 26 percent more likely than average to be born with low birth weight.

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

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

•Washington DC lacks progressive laws guaranteeing a nursing mother the right to breastfeed in public.

•Just 3.5 percent of births statewide are attended by midwives, compared to a national average of 7.3 percent.

•According to our survey of park departments, for every 10,000 residents, Washington has 7 miles of public trails and pathways for hiking and stroller use, the 5th lowest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 79 trail miles for every 10,000 residents.

•Washington has 12 lactation consultants for every 10,000 live births, the 11th lowest ratio in our survey. The average city in our survey has 23 lactation consultants per 10,000 live births.

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

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

•Washington's violent crime rate is 39 percent higher than average, the 11th highest in our survey, in fact.

•According to the Urban Mobility Report from Texas A&M University, Washington has one of the worst commutes of any city in our survey. It takes 51 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.

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