Whether they want to work or have to the daily juggle of challenges in the office and at home is a reality for most mothers in this country. Nearly two-thirds of women in families with children under the age of 18 and 73% of single moms are employed, according the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics survey.

And while juggling careers and family is never easy, certain states make it a lot easier on moms than others: They re home to better jobs, have more affordable and higher-quality child care and offer residents family leave even if employers don t.

Of course, each state has its tradeoffs. Hawaii offers paid family leave and a low unemployment rate, for example, but paid maternity leave in the state is expensive and difficult to get. And while Massachusetts moms enjoy well-paid professional jobs, they also pay the highest prices for child care in the country.

See the 10 best places to be a working mom

To figure out which states are the most mom-friendly, SmartMoney pored over research reports and statistics, such as wage gap and unemployment data, and we spoke with experts. We looked at child care rankings from the nonprofit National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, or NACCRRA, and data from the Institute for Women s Policy Research on where the highest percentage of women hold professional or managerial occupations. Tax information provider CCH helped us find the states that offer the best credits for child-care expenses and other child-related tax breaks. Finally, we also spoke with the Families and Work Institute, which annually ranks companies in terms of workplace flexibility -- a key factor for moms stuck in less-than-ideal child-care situations.

Here are 10 states that stood out.

Thanks to state law, workers in the Golden State get up to six weeks paid leave to care for a child or bond with a new child, among other things. That s no small perk. Only one other state (New Jersey) offers this type of leave, federal law doesn't provide for it and only 8% of workers qualify for it through their employer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. California is also among the states with the narrowest wage gaps: Women s earnings are 83.8% of men s, compared with 77.5% nationwide. Generous tax credits offset the high cost of day care for employees, while employer credits encourage companies to provide day-care programs to employees.

Cons: Parents will have to do their own research when selecting child care, as the state requires that centers are inspected only once every five years. NACCRRA recommends at least four inspections a year.

Photos: Getty Images

Home to a wealth of government jobs, the District of Columbia boasts the highest percentage of women 52.5% in managerial or professional occupations. It also has a barely noticeable wage gap, with women earning 93.4% as much as men. Women can get paid maternity leave through the state s temporary disability insurance, as well as paid sick days. (D.C. is one of just two cities in the country along with San Francisco to offer that perk, says Julie Weber, policy outreach specialist at the Sloan Work & Family Research Network at Boston College.) Child-care regulations and oversight are also among the strictest in the country, says Linda Smith, executive director of NACCRRA.

Cons: At an average of $13,967 per year, or 12% of the median income of families with children under 18 in the state, child care can be pricey here.

Along with almost year-round sunshine, Florida moms enjoy top-rated, affordable and readily-available child care, with more spaces available at homes and centers than children who potentially need them. Florida is one of just five states that require monitoring visits at child-care centers at least four times a year and the posting of inspection and complaint reports online. And even though less than a third of women in Florida have professional or managerial jobs, their pay is 79.9% of that of men, still above the nationwide average of 77.5%.

Cons: A low percentage of women in managerial or professional occupations.

Moms in the Aloha State can get paid maternity leave through its state-mandated temporary disability insurance, and the state has proposed legislation for paid family leave that would allow them to take paid time off to care for a seriously ill spouse, child or family member. The unemployment rate for women in the state is also among the lowest in the country, at 3.6%.

Cons: Finding child care is difficult. Anyone moving there is going to run into a serious problem finding child care in Hawaii, says NACCRRA s Smith. The younger your child, the more difficult it s going to be. At an average of $11,496 a year, or 14% of income, it s pretty pricey, too.

Massachusetts moms may have little trouble finding child care statewide, there are more spaces in day-care centers, schools and child-care homes than children who need them but it comes at a premium. At an average of $15,895 a year, child care in Massachusetts is the priciest in the country. Women s earnings, however, also tend to be above average, says Ariane Hegewisch, study director at the Institute for Women's Policy Research. And nearly 40% of women are in managerial or professional jobs, too.

Cons: The most expensive child care in the country.

Like California, the Garden State mandates paid family leave for up to six weeks per year. New Jersey moms have good jobs, too: The state ranks fifth in terms of women with professional or managerial occupations. The best perk: Regardless of income, 31 districts give families access to free preschool programs for three- and four-year-old children in Abbott Schools, says NACCRRA s Smith. Public schools in these Abbott districts get state aid in order to provide them with the same per-student operating budget as that of the state s wealthiest school districts.

Cons: Parents should be extra careful if they enroll their child in home-based child care, because the state does not license such establishments.

Empire State moms have some big benefits, including paid maternity leave via the state s temporary disability insurance. New York has proposed legislation for paid family leave similar to what is now available in California and New Jersey. It's also one of the top states in terms of wage equality women earn 82.3% as much as men. And although child care is expensive in large part because of high prices in New York City it is also tightly regulated.

Cons: At an average of $13,630 a year, child care is among the priciest in the country.

What s not to love about free child care? In Oklahoma, three- and four-year-old children get universal access to free pre-K programs. Combine that with tight inspection and oversight of child-care centers and family home centers, and Oklahoma is No. 1 in terms of child care, says Smith. You get that at a relatively low price, too, at only 11% of median family income. The number of women seeking employment in Oklahoma is also among the lowest in the country: The unemployment rate is just 3.5%, compared with a national average of 5.4%.

Cons: Just one-third (33%) of women in Oklahoma have managerial or professional jobs.

The country s smallest state has some of the biggest family perks, including paid maternity leave via its state temporary disability insurance. Parents can also rest assured that their children are safe. All child-care centers are inspected at least three times a year and all staff members undergo a background check of state and federal criminal history records, as well as child abuse and neglect registries.

Cons: At 6.7%, unemployment for women is high (but so is unemployment for men, at 9.1%).

Well-regulated child-care institutions and workplace flexibility rank Washington State among the top states for working moms. Three of the 10 companies distinguished by the Families and Work Institute last year for their workplace flexibility are based in Seattle, including insurance provider NRG::Seattle, which gives its employees a four-week paid sabbatical every five years. In 2007, the state passed paid family leave legislation, but its implementation has been postponed because of financing problems, according to Hegewisch.

Cons: At an average $10,140 a year, or 13% of family income, child care can be expensive.