Working moms in Texas are getting a rough deal, and a new report is not exactly a Mother’s Day card you frame on the fridge. A fresh study from WalletHub ranks the Lone Star State deep in the lower third of its 2026 “Best & Worst States for Working Moms” list, with long workweeks and patchy child-care access dragging down the score. For San Antonio parents trying to juggle jobs, kids and commutes, the numbers will sound less like news and more like validation.
WalletHub's findings, in short
In the overall tally, Texas lands at 41 out of 51 jurisdictions. The state places 31st for Child Care, 33rd for Professional Opportunities and a bleak 48th for Work-Life Balance, according to WalletHub. The index pulls together 17 metrics, including day-care quality, pediatricians per capita, parental-leave laws and the average length of a woman’s workweek, using federal and nonprofit data. Put together, those scores push Texas firmly into the bottom third nationwide.
Where Texas falls short
Local coverage has zeroed in on the same pressure points. Reports note that while Texas looks relatively solid on median women’s pay once cost of living is factored in, it fares poorly on daycare quality, parental-leave policy and the share of women in leadership roles. As CultureMap San Antonio points out, the average length of a woman’s workweek in Texas ranks among the worst in the country, and female unemployment is higher than in many comparable states. The study’s findings have been echoed around Texas and beyond, including national write-ups from AOL.
Pay and childcare: the national backdrop
The squeeze on Texas moms is part local policy, part national story. Recent data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics show women’s median earnings hover around 82 percent of men’s on common measures, leaving less room in the household budget when child-care bills stack up and paid leave is limited. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has stayed in the low 80s in recent years. In Texas, that wage picture, combined with weaker leave policies and child-care gaps, helps explain why working mothers feel extra strain.
What experts say
“The U.S. still has a lot of work to do when it comes to improving conditions for working moms, given the wage gap and the lack of representation women have in certain leadership positions,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. WalletHub notes that top-performing states tend to pair more equitable pay with stronger parental-leave laws and reliable, affordable child care. Those are the levers Texas would need to pull to climb out of the bottom tier.
For San Antonio parents and employers, the takeaway is less about rankings and more about daily life. Expanding child-care capacity, improving leave policies and moving more women into decision-making roles are concrete steps that could start to ease the crunch. Whether state leaders and local companies choose to act will decide if Texas is still stuck near the bottom of the list when the next report rolls around.
