Illinois recently ranked 22nd in the 2024 State Scorecard on Women’s Health and Reproductive Care, according to a July report from the Commonwealth Fund, a private, nonpartisan organization that focuses on equitable health care.

The Commonwealth Fund ranked all 50 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C., on 32 measures of health care access, quality and outcomes. Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut took the top three spots, while Mississippi, Arkansas and West Virginia were at the bottom.

Factors considered in the report include rates of maternal mortality, infant mortality, preterm births, uninsured women, women with up-to-date cancer screenings and more. The report also considered the number of abortion clinics in each state. Thousands of out-of-state patients come to Illinois each year for abortions.

The Land of Lincoln received favorable scores for the proportion of women ages 18 to 64 who report poor mental health, women with depression before or during pregnancy and women without a postpartum check-up after birth. The state ranked second, fourth and fifth in these metrics, respectively.

However, there were areas in which Illinois struggled. The state ranked below average for the proportion of women ages 18 to 44 without a usual source of care, women with up-to-date cervical cancer screening and women with up-to-date breast cancer screening.

Here’s more on Illinois’ performance in the ranking, plus how Missouri compared.

How did Illinois perform?

Illinois ranked 16th for health and reproductive care outcomes, 23rd for coverage, access and affordability and 29th on health care quality and prevention.

Below are the areas in which Illinois performed better than average. For some metrics, information is not available for all states.

• Maternal deaths while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, per 100,000 live births

• All-cause mortality rate per 100,000 women ages 15 to 44

• Rate of women ages 15 to 44 with syphilis per 100,000 female population

• Rate of infants born with congenital syphilis per 100,000 live births

• Percentage of women ages 18 to 64 who reported being in fair or poor health

• Percentage of women with a recent live birth with self-reported depression in the three months before or during pregnancy

• Percentage of women with a recent live birth with self-reported postpartum depressive symptoms

• Percentage of women ages 18 to 64 who reported having 14 or more poor mental health days in the past month

• Percentage of women with a recent live birth who experienced intimate partner violence before and/or during pregnancy

• Percentage of women ages 19 to 64 without health insurance coverage

• Percentage of women with a recent live birth without health insurance coverage during pregnancy

• Percentage of women ages 18 to 44 who reported a time in the past 12 months when they needed to see a doctor but could not because of cost

• Percentage of women ages 18 to 44 who did not have one (or more) person they think of as their personal health care provider

• Share of in-hospital births in state with a self-pay insurance payment source

• Rate of maternity care providers (MDs, DOs, certified nurse midwives practicing in obstetrics and gynecology) per 100,000 women ages 15 to 44

• Abortion clinics per 100,000 women ages 15 to 44

• Rate of singleton, term (37 completed weeks or more of gestation based on the obstetric estimate), vertex (not breech), cesarean deliveries to women having a first birth per 100 women delivering singleton, term, vertex, first births

• Percentage of live births where prenatal care did not begin during the first to third month of pregnancy, among birth records that specified a time period for when prenatal care began

• Percentage of women with a recent live birth who did not report receiving a maternal postpartum checkup visit

• Percentage of women ages 45 to 74 who received a sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy in the past 10 years or a fecal occult blood test in the past two years

• Percentage of women with a recent live birth who reported being asked about depression during a maternal postpartum checkup visit

• Percentage of women with a recent live birth who had teeth cleaned during pregnancy by a dentist or dental hygienist

Illinois scored worse than average in these metrics:

• Infant mortality deaths per 1,000 live births

• Breast and cervical cancer deaths per 100,000 female population

• Percentage of reported live births where baby was born prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy (gestation), among birth records that reported a gestational age

• Percentage of women with a recent live birth without health insurance coverage a month before pregnancy

• Percentage of women ages 50 to 74 with a mammogram in the past two years

• Percentage of women ages 21 to 65 with a Pap smear in the past three years

• Percentage of women with a recent live birth with a flu shot in the 12 months before delivery or during pregnancy

• Percentage of women age 65 and older who ever received a pneumonia vaccine

• Percentage of women ages 18 to 64 who have ever had an HIV or AIDS test

Illinois was at the U.S. average score for “percent of women ages 18–44 who reported not visiting a doctor for a routine checkup in the past two years.”

Missouri ranked 40th overall in the Commonwealth Fund’s ranking. The Show Me state landed in 43rd place for health and reproductive care outcomes, 39th for coverage, access and affordability and 35th for health care quality and prevention.

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