Onto part 2 of our PFL Analysis. Once we had all the data, we were able to grade existing PFL programs across the United States. These results are a subjective grade based on metrics we identified and data that each PFL program released for 2024. The purpose of these grades are to provide a comparison of these programs using more than just the average weekly benefit award (WBA) as cost-of-living and average salaries vary from state-to-state. These grades are also subject to change based on the release of new programs or annual PFL program updates.
For simplicity, all states received flat grades from A-F determined by the metrics identified here. States with existing PFL programs received grades from A-D based on the criteria, with some subjectivity based on differing cost of living in states. Any state with a PFL program coming in the next few years received an E (for effort), and all states without a PFL program received an F (ouch).
To provide a comprehensive look at PFL utilization and how realistic each PFL program really is for each state, we’ll summarize a few of the findings to explain how we got to the grade.
We gave California’s PFL program an average rating of C. California was the first state to roll out a Paid Family Leave (PFL) program, and the total available paid time for birthing parents is 18-20 weeks including California state disability insurance (CA). While California PFL has a higher maximum WBA of $1,620 in 2024 ($1,681 as of 1/1/25), it only offers 8 weeks of PFL for parental leave. Compared to other states, 8 weeks is fairly low considering dads drive program growth for California PFL. However, the weekly average payout is only $921.53 per week, which comes out to be about 65% based on the average weekly salary of $73,220 in California. This is much lower than the WBA available, which wouldn’t be reached until a salary of $140,400, but most PFL recipients do not receive that maximum WBA (even with a low denial rate of 5%).
We gave Colorado’s PFL program an average rating of B. Colorado has a program called Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) that offers 12 weeks of paid parental leave, which is another month longer than California's program. The total available time for birthing parents is between 24-26 weeks, and it can also be extended for birthing parents if needed. The maximum benefit amount is lower at $1,100 per week for 2024 (and $1,324.21 in 2025), But unfortunately, the average weekly PFL payout was $915,30 in 2024, which is 70% of the average weekly salary. Recipients do reach the maximum WBA at an annual salary of $63,556 with an average salary in the state sitting at $67,870. Colorado scored higher than California because the PFL payouts are 70% of the average weekly salary and the PFL payouts are 83% of the maximum WBA, meaning it’s more accessible to reach for more parents with only a 4% denial rate.
We gave Connecticut’s PFL program an average rating of D. Connecticut’s program, called Connecticut Paid Leave (CTPL), went live in 2022. The program offers 12 weeks of PFL for parental leave, but the maximum weekly benefit amount is only $941 per week ($981 for 2025) with an average payout of $729. On average, only 6.82 weeks of PFL are taken and applicants reach the maximum at a low $51,529 annual salary. This is much lower than the average salary of $69,310. Like Colorado, the total time available for birthing parents is 24-26 weeks, but the percentage of average PFL payouts for the average weekly salary is only 55%. They have an alarmingly high denial rate of 30%.
We gave D.C.’s PFL program an average rating of D. While Washington D.C. is technically not a state, it still has its own PFL program and received a rating. This is a PFL program where we took into consideration other metrics because it did not have as much data available as other state programs. We did find, however, that of all the state programs with medical and PFL, D.C. exceeded the percentage of claims for bonding at 63.3% with other states averaging between 20-30%. D.C.’s PFL program went live in 2020 and provides up to 12 weeks of PFL with a maximum weekly benefit amount of $1,118 ($1,153 for 2025), but only 6.8 weeks of PFL are taken on average and the average PFL payout is $909.07. The maximum WBA is reached at $64,596, making the weekly maximum very low considering the average salary in the state is $106,230.
We gave Massachusetts an average rating of B. Massachusetts’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) provides up to 12 weeks of PFL for bonding with a maximum weekly benefit amount of $1,149 ($1,170.64 for 2025). The average weekly PFL payouts are only $774.01 but the average PFL weeks taken is 10.44, which is great utilization, especially considering the program launched in 2023! The salary to reach the maximum WBA is $93,429, which is much higher than the average salary in the state of $76,600, influencing the higher grade. The total amount of time available for birthing parents is also on the higher end of 24-26 weeks. The average PFL payouts end up being 52.54% on the average weekly salary. Massachusetts also has a fairly low claim denial rate, which is also evident by the impressive utilization of PFL.
We gave New Jersey an average rating of B. Like California, New Jersey has two programs: Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) and Family Leave Insurance (FLI). For the PFL Analysis, we only looked at FLI to best compare PFL programs, but having separate programs that offer a maximum of 26 weeks of pay for a birthing parent influenced the grade we gave New Jersey. New Jersey was the second state to pass a PFL program in 2009. FLI provides 12 weeks of bonding with a maximum weekly benefit amount of $1,055, increasing to $1,081 per week in 2024. The average weekly PFL payouts for New Jersey FLI is $860 and the average weeks of PFL taken is 9.71, which is higher than the total weeks that California offers for a PFL program alone. However, the weekly benefit maxes out at $64,541.18, which is slightly less than the average salary of about $70k, and the average PFL payouts ends up being about 63% of the average weekly salary.
We gave New York an average rating of D. New York also has two programs, but we only looked at the PFL program. The state Disability Benefits Law (DBL) maxes out at $170/week, so while they offer a total of 24-26 weeks for a birthing parent, weekly DBL benefits can’t even cover groceries. We took this into consideration when assessing all the metrics for New York. New York’s PFL program went live in 2016, and the good news is that the PFL program does offer 12 weeks with a maximum weekly benefit amount of $1,151.16 ($1,177.32 for 2025). The average weekly PFL payouts for bonding is unfortunately only $665.62 with an average of 7.8 weeks taken. The salary to max out the weekly benefit amount is $89,343.76, which is higher than the average salary in the state, but disproportionate for variation between the cost of living between different cities. Additionally, the average PFL payouts end up being 46.66% of the average weekly salary, which is the second lowest of all the states, only coming out about 1.5% higher than Washington D.C.
We gave Oregon an average rating of B. Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) provides 12 weeks of paid family leave for bonding with a maximum weekly benefit amount of $1,523.62, increasing to $1,568.60 in 2025. PLO also provides up to 26 weeks for a birthing parent and the average weekly PFL payouts are $1,078.42, with the salary to max out the benefits is an impressive $121,890.40. This is very generous considering the average salary in Oregon is $62,680, making the average PFL payouts 89.47% of the average weekly salary. PLO also can offer job protection to an employee if they’ve worked for the same employer for at least 90 consecutive days, which is uncommon as most job protection under federal or state laws (like FMLA) is separate from PFL programs. As a new program, going live in 2023, this is a great start.
We gave Rhode Island an average rating of D. To start, Rhode Island Temporary Caregiver Insurance Program only provides 6 weeks of PFL, which is the lowest amount of all PFL programs. The maximum weekly rate is $1,070, updated in July of 2024. The average weekly PFL payouts is only $684 per week with the average time taken only 4.5 weeks. The program also has a denial rate of 9.46%, the highest of all PFL programs. While the salary when the weekly benefit amount maxes out is $90,393, higher than the average salary in the state of $64,530, the average PFL payouts for the average weekly salary is only 55.12%. Considering the TCI law went into effect in 2014, we’d expect a better PFL program.
We gave Washington state an average rating of C. Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program launched in 2020, and while they have a separate disability program, we are focusing on PFL for this analysis. Like many other PFL programs, Washington offers 12 weeks with a maximum benefit amount of $1,456 ($1,542/week in 2025), making it the third highest benefit rate. However, the average weekly PFL payouts are only $876 per week, with 8 weeks taken on average. The benefits max out at $82,448.89, which is higher than the average salary in the state of $72,350. They have a 62.96% average PFL payouts based on average weekly salary, which is one of the lowest of all PFL programs. With a 7% claims denial rate, the PFL program ranks just average across the existing states.
The good news is that four states have programs on the horizon to be available in 2025-2026 and a handful of states have private plans available, but they’re not mandated by the state. These states received an “E” (for effort) since they have a PFL program that will launch in the next year.
We’re looking forward to examining these programs once they’re live and see how they compare. But this still leaves 37 states with no state-mandated PFL, all of which received an “F” for our grading system.
As you can see, there’s still lots of opportunity for improvement. This PFL Analysis was part of a bigger project, Parento’s Working Family Scorecard, to provide a more holistic look at each state in the United States. We leveraged existing analyses and scores for working parents, working moms, maternal health, childcare, and remote work. Alone, each of these analyses offer just a piece of the puzzle. Together, they provide a comprehensive “grade” that helps us understand how feasible working parenthood really is in each state. Stay tuned for the release of this interactive resource.
