Best and worst states for working moms in 2018

Women make up about half of the U.S. workforce. About 70 percent of mothers with young children are working moms, according to WalletHub.com.

Some states fair better than others when it comes to benefits for those families. WalletHub released a report Monday ranking the best and worst states for working mothers in 2018.

The website looked at 15 key metrics, like the median salary, day-care quality and the average length of a mother's workday.

Illinois ranks 18th overall, ranking seventh in day-care quality and tenth in parental-leave policy. The state also has the fourth highest median salary.

Check out where Illinois placed in several other key areas:

-7th in day-care quality

-33rd in child-care costs (adjusted for median women's salary)

-35th in pediatricians per capita

-36th in gender pay gap (women's earnings as percent of men's)

-30th in ratio of female executives to male executives

-4th in median women's salary (adjusted for cost of living)

-47th in female unemployment rate

-10th in parental-leave policy score

-20th in avg. length of woman's workday (in hours)

-30th in percent of single-mom families in poverty

The top five states overall for working moms were Vermont, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C. and Connecticut because of child-care options.

The worst states for working moms were South Carolina, Nevada, Alabama, Louisiana and Idaho.