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Explore national- and state-level data for hundreds of health, environmental and socioeconomic measures, including background information about each measure. Use features on this page to find measures; view subpopulations, trends and rankings; and download and share content.
Maine Value:
Percentage of infants who were breastfed between birth and discharge from the hospital
Maine Rank:
Percentage of infants who were breastfed between birth and discharge from the hospital
94.0% - 89.7%
89.6% - 86.9%
86.8% - 84.8%
84.7% - 80.6%
80.5% - 67.0%
No Data
US Value: 85.1 %
Top State(s): Oregon: 94.0 %
Bottom State(s): Mississippi: 67.0 %
Definition: Percentage of infants who were breastfed between birth and discharge from the hospital
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Natality Public Use Files via CDC WONDER Online Database, 2023
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Natality Public Use Files via CDC WONDER Online Database, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Breastfeeding has many benefits for mothers and infants. Initiating breastfeeding within an hour of giving birth can protect infants from infection and reduce newborn mortality.
Breastfeeding provides infants with vital nutrients and supports healthy brain and immune system development. Additional benefits to infants include:
Breastfeeding benefits for mothers include decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Breastfeeding also facilitates bonding between mother and infant.
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life. Despite these recommendations, nearly 15% of women never breastfed their infants.
Racial discrimination negatively affects breastfeeding among Black women, who receive fewer lactation-support referrals and less help for breastfeeding problems than other racial groups. As a result, Black infants have lower rates of breastfeeding initiation than Asian infants, and the lowest rate in 26 states.
Several social and cultural factors may lead women to never start breastfeeding or to stop breastfeeding early. Factors associated with lower breastfeeding rates include:
Hospitals participating in the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, which involves implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, help encourage new mothers to start and continue breastfeeding. Higher proportions of Baby-Friendly Hospitals at the state level are associated with increased breastfeeding rates. Moreover, increased use of the Ten Steps is associated with a decrease in racial disparities in breastfeeding initiation. Improving the delivery of culturally relevant breastfeeding services tailored to the needs of communities most at risk of not breastfeeding can further narrow disparities.
Prenatal breastfeeding education interventions work to increase women’s knowledge of breastfeeding and promote positive breastfeeding practices. New mothers who are knowledgeable about breastfeeding are more likely to initiate breastfeeding and continue for a longer duration. A recent study showed that breastfeeding peer counseling had a positive impact on breastfeeding duration at 3 and 6 months postpartum. In particular, doula care has increased rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration.
Healthy People 2030 has an objective to increase the percentage of infants breastfed exclusively for six months.
Ahluwalia, Indu B., Brian Morrow, and Jason Hsia. “Why Do Women Stop Breastfeeding? Findings From the Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System.” Pediatrics 116, no. 6 (December 1, 2005): 1408–12. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-0013.
Chiang, Katelyn V., Ruowei Li, Erica H. Anstey, and Cria G. Perrine. “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Breastfeeding Initiation - United States, 2019.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 70, no. 21 (May 28, 2021): 769–74. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7021a1.
Dieterich, Christine M., Julia P. Felice, Elizabeth O’Sullivan, and Kathleen M. Rasmussen. “Breastfeeding and Health Outcomes for the Mother-Infant Dyad.” Pediatric Clinics of North America 60, no. 1 (February 2013): 31–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2012.09.010.
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Interrante, Julia D., Alyssa H. Fritz, Marcia B. McCoy, and Katy Backes Kozhimannil. “Effects of Breastfeeding Peer Counseling on County-Level Breastfeeding Rates Among WIC Participants in Greater Minnesota.” Women’s Health Issues 34, no. 3 (May 2024): 232–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2023.12.001.
Jolles, Diana R., and Lauren Hoehn-Velasco. “Breastfeeding as a Quality Measure: Demonstrating Levers of the National Quality Strategy.” The Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing 35, no. 3 (September 2021): 221–27. https://doi.org/10.1097/JPN.0000000000000577.
Kehinde, Jennifer, Claire O’Donnell, and Annmarie Grealish. “The Effectiveness of Prenatal Breastfeeding Education on Breastfeeding Uptake Postpartum: A Systematic Review.” Midwifery 118 (March 2023): 103579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2022.103579.
Kim, Tae Hyeon, Hyeri Lee, Selin Woo, Hayeon Lee, Jaeyu Park, Guillaume Fond, Laurent Boyer, Jong Woo Hahn, Jiseung Kang, and Dong Keon Yon. “Prenatal and Postnatal Factors Associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses.” World Journal of Pediatrics 20, no. 5 (May 2024): 451–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-024-00806-1.
Li, Ruowei, Julie Ware, Aimin Chen, Jennifer M. Nelson, Jennifer M. Kmet, Sharyn E. Parks, Ardythe L. Morrow, Jian Chen, and Cria G. Perrine. “Breastfeeding and Post-Perinatal Infant Deaths in the United States, A National Prospective Cohort Analysis.” The Lancet Regional Health - Americas 5 (January 2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2021.100094.
Merewood, Anne, Kimarie Bugg, Laura Burnham, Kirsten Krane, Nathan Nickel, Sarah Broom, Roger Edwards, and Lori Feldman-Winter. “Addressing Racial Inequities in Breastfeeding in the Southern United States.” Pediatrics 143, no. 2 (February 1, 2019): e20181897. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-1897.
Rito, Ana Isabel, Marta Buoncristiano, Angela Spinelli, Benoit Salanave, Marie Kunešová, Tatjana Hejgaard, Marta García Solano, et al. “Association between Characteristics at Birth, Breastfeeding and Obesity in 22 Countries: The WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative – COSI 2015/2017.” Obesity Facts 12, no. 2 (2019): 226–43. https://doi.org/10.1159/000500425.
Robinson, Karen, Alissa Fial, and Lisa Hanson. “Racism, Bias, and Discrimination as Modifiable Barriers to Breastfeeding for African American Women: A Scoping Review of the Literature.” Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health 64, no. 6 (November 2019): 734–42. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.13058.
Rollins, Nigel C., Nita Bhandari, Nemat Hajeebhoy, Susan Horton, Chessa K. Lutter, Jose C. Martines, Ellen G. Piwoz, Linda M. Richter, and Cesar G. Victora. “Why Invest, and What It Will Take to Improve Breastfeeding Practices?” The Lancet, Breastfeeding 2, 387, no. 10017 (January 30, 2016): 491–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01044-2.
Victora, Cesar G., Rajiv Bahl, Aluísio J. D. Barros, Giovanny V. A. França, Susan Horton, Julia Krasevec, Simon Murch, Mari Jeeva Sankar, Neff Walker, and Nigel C. Rollins. “Breastfeeding in the 21st Century: Epidemiology, Mechanisms, and Lifelong Effect.” The Lancet, Breastfeeding 1, 387, no. 10017 (January 2016): 475–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01024-7.
Wilson, Keadrea, Tebeb Gebretsadik, Margaret A. Adgent, Christine Loftus, Catherine Karr, Paul E. Moore, Sheela Sathyanarayana, et al. “The Association between Duration of Breastfeeding and Childhood Asthma Outcomes.” Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 129, no. 2 (August 2022): 205–11.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2022.04.034.
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