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Water Birth Availability by State, 2026

Water birth is one of the most-searched birth options in America — and one of the most unevenly available. At least 1,094 of the 4,787 birth facilities in our national directory (23%) show evidence of offering water birth or labor tubs, but the state you live in changes those odds dramatically. Here's the state-by-state picture.

This is directory data — counts of listed facilities — not clinical guidance. Tub availability changes, and whether water birth fits your pregnancy is a conversation for you and your provider. Always confirm directly with the facility.

Alaska
highest share (45.8% of listed facilities)
23%
of facilities nationally
1,094+
facilities with water-birth evidence

Share of listed facilities with water-birth evidence, by state

Every number is a floor: "at least N facilities" with water birth or labor tubs confirmed on the facility's own website, in its listing, or in parent reviews. The true number is likely higher — plenty of facilities offer tubs without saying so anywhere we can verify. States with at least 10 listed facilities are ranked.

#StateListed facilitiesWith water-birth evidenceShare
1 Alaska 24 at least 11 45.8%
2 South Carolina 64 at least 29 45.3%
3 Oregon 98 at least 38 38.8%
4 Minnesota 94 at least 34 36.2%
5 Arizona 89 at least 30 33.7%
6 Texas 420 at least 138 32.9%
7 Florida 290 at least 93 32.1%
8 Montana 26 at least 8 30.8%
9 Virginia 111 at least 33 29.7%
10 Oklahoma 64 at least 19 29.7%
11 Washington 175 at least 51 29.1%
12 Utah 137 at least 38 27.7%
13 Nevada 41 at least 11 26.8%
14 Colorado 131 at least 35 26.7%
15 California 520 at least 135 26%
16 Kansas 60 at least 15 25%
17 Tennessee 129 at least 31 24%
18 Idaho 64 at least 15 23.4%
19 Mississippi 26 at least 6 23.1%
20 New Mexico 42 at least 9 21.4%
21 West Virginia 14 at least 3 21.4%
22 Michigan 158 at least 33 20.9%
23 Wisconsin 115 at least 23 20%
24 Wyoming 20 at least 4 20%
25 Alabama 46 at least 9 19.6%
26 Indiana 90 at least 17 18.9%
27 Arkansas 37 at least 7 18.9%
28 Georgia 138 at least 26 18.8%
29 Pennsylvania 138 at least 26 18.8%
30 Connecticut 70 at least 13 18.6%
31 South Dakota 23 at least 4 17.4%
32 Massachusetts 107 at least 18 16.8%
33 North Carolina 121 at least 17 14%
34 Maryland 58 at least 8 13.8%
35 Missouri 94 at least 12 12.8%
36 New Jersey 121 at least 14 11.6%
37 Illinois 169 at least 19 11.2%
38 Rhode Island 18 at least 2 11.1%
39 Louisiana 37 at least 4 10.8%
40 New Hampshire 37 at least 4 10.8%
41 New York 183 at least 19 10.4%
42 Maine 29 at least 3 10.3%
43 Ohio 156 at least 15 9.6%
44 Kentucky 66 at least 6 9.1%
45 Vermont 22 at least 2 9.1%
46 Delaware 12 at least 1 8.3%
47 Iowa 57 at least 3 5.3%
48 Nebraska 24 at least 0 0%
49 North Dakota 10 at least 0 0%

Not ranked (fewer than 10 listed facilities, so shares aren't meaningful): District of Columbia (at least 2 of 7), Hawaii (at least 1 of 5).

Looking for a water birth near you?

Browse the water birth directory — every listed facility with water-birth evidence, organized by city — or start from your state's full directory. Water birth is far more common at freestanding birth centers than on hospital labor floors, so if a tub matters to you, that's usually the place to start looking.

Cite this data

Journalists, researchers, and bloggers: this dataset is free to cite with attribution and a link.

"In Alaska, at least 45.8% of listed birth facilities show evidence of offering water birth — the highest share in the US, per findbirthingcenters.com's Water Birth Availability by State, 2026." Source: findbirthingcenters.com.

Download the CSV — water birth by state

Dataset updated July 15, 2026. Refreshed with each quarterly re-crawl of the directory. Questions or the full dataset: hello@findbirthingcenters.com.

Methodology

We count a facility as offering water birth only when we find evidence: the facility's own website, its public business listing, or parent reviews mentioning water birth or labor tubs. That makes every count a floor — "at least N" — not a census. Facility universe: our continuously maintained national directory of birth centers and hospital labor & delivery units, compiled from public business listings. Shares divide water-birth-evidence facilities by all listed facilities in the state; states with fewer than 10 listed facilities are shown but not ranked. This page reports availability signals — it is directory data, not clinical guidance, and does not evaluate the safety or suitability of water birth for any pregnancy.

More data: all birth center stats · the Birth Center Access Map.