Moms are caregivers, hand-holders, cheerleaders, advice-givers and heart healers. But when it comes to being breadwinners, mothers in Mississippi are not doing as well as other mothers in other states.

Mississippi is the fifth worst-paying state for moms, according to a recent analysis by HireAHelper.

Researchers have found that in Mississippi, 72.3% of working moms work full-time. Adjusting for the cost of living, full-time working moms earn a median annual wage of $40,284, compared to the national average of $45,000.

Here is a summary of the data for Mississippi:

• Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $40,284
• Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $34,000
• Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 72.3%
• Labor force participation rate for moms: 73.8%
• Cost of living (compared to national average): -15.6%

For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

• Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $45,00
• Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 68.3
• Labor force participation rate for moms: 74.7%

Working mothers with children under 18 account for a significant share of the labor force. According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, over 70% of these moms are employed, accounting for 24.7 million workers overall. The median annual wage for full-time working moms is $45,000, but moms in some parts of the country earn far more.

Working mothers are most commonly employed in the education, health care, and social assistance sectors, which account for approximately 23% of all workers, but over 40% of working moms. This industry group includes school teachers and nurses, which are some of the most common occupations for women. Working mothers are also overrepresented in the finance, insurance, and real estate sectors, but typically underrepresented in other fields.

Nearly 72% of all moms are employed either full-time or part-time, which is higher than the overall level of 63% for the general population. However, the employment status and labor force participation rates of mothers depend on their children’s ages. Moms that have school-age kids only (aged 6-17) are the most likely to be employed, at nearly 77%. On the other hand, moms with both young children (under 6) and school-age kids have the lowest employment rate, at 64%. This group is also the least likely to be in the labor force, with one-third of these moms opting out.

While the median annual wage for full-time working moms is $45,000 nationally, moms in some cities and states earn significantly more or less. Moreover, differences in cost of living across the country determine how comfortable it is to live on a given annual wage.

Despite living costs that tend to be higher than average, moms living in the Northeast are still well-paid compared to those in other parts of the country. Relatively low costs of living also mean that Midwestern moms fare well, even though wages in these states are not that much, if at all, higher than the national average. Out of all states, moms in Massachusetts and Connecticut earn the most after adjusting for cost of living. The median cost-of-living-adjusted annual wage for full-time working moms is $58,877 in Massachusetts and $57,143 in Connecticut. Conversely, Florida moms earn the least—median cost-of-living-adjusted earnings for full-time working moms is just $38,614 in the Sunshine State.

To find the best-paying states for moms, researchers at HireAHelper analyzed the latest data on wages from the U.S. Census Bureau and cost-of-living data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The researchers ranked states according to the cost-of-living-adjusted median annual wage for full-time working moms with kids under 18. Researchers also calculated the unadjusted median annual wage for moms, the percentage of working moms that are full-time, and the labor force participation rate for moms.

For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on HireAHelper’s website: https://www.hireahelper.com/lifestyle/best-paying-cities-for-moms/