NPI-registered lactation consultants per 10,000 births, by state (2026)

Updated 2026-11-03 · Local Baby Support editorial

We count 23.3 NPI-registered lactation consultants for every 10,000 US births: 8,469 in November 2026 (6,773 individual providers and 1,696 practices), against 3,628,934 births in 2024. Vermont has the most, 67.7 per 10,000 births. Mississippi and South Dakota have the fewest, both 8.7, a gap of nearly eight to one.

About half, 4,160 or 49%, list IBCLC as a credential on their NPI record, which is 11.5 per 10,000 births. Texas has the second-most births of any state but ranks 40th, at 16.6.

Which states have the most?

Vermont ranks first at 67.7 per 10,000 births, with 34 lactation consultants for 5,023 births. Oregon is second at 47.0, with 183 for 38,963 births. The District of Columbia is third at 46.0, with 35 for 7,616 births. Rhode Island (37.0) and Colorado (36.3) come next.

In all, 22 states and DC are above the national rate of 23.3, and 28 states are below it.

A large count does not mean a high rate. California has the most lactation consultants of any state, 1,189, but it also has the most births, 402,075, so it ranks 16th at 29.6.

Which have the fewest?

Mississippi ranks last, with 29 lactation consultants for 33,473 births, or 8.7 per 10,000. South Dakota also rounds to 8.7, with 10 for 11,451 births, and ranks just above Mississippi on the unrounded rate. Kentucky is third from the bottom at 11.7, then Iowa (12.4) and Alabama (12.8).

No state below the national rate has more births than Texas. It has the second-most births, 390,828, and the second-most lactation consultants, 647, but ranks 40th at 16.6. Texas would need about 265 more lactation consultants to reach the national rate.

How does every state compare?

Each state name links to its list of lactation consultants.

Rank	State	Lactation consultants	List IBCLC	Births (2024)	Per 10,000 births
1	Vermont	34	20	5,023	67.7
2	Oregon	183	96	38,963	47.0
3	District of Columbia	35	14	7,616	46.0
4	Rhode Island	37	17	10,009	37.0
5	Colorado	233	107	64,268	36.3
6	Maryland	225	97	65,797	34.2
7	Delaware	34	19	10,550	32.2
8	Hawaii	48	22	14,917	32.2
9	New Jersey	326	154	101,372	32.2
10	New Mexico	67	19	21,328	31.4
11	Massachusetts	214	108	68,184	31.4
12	Illinois	393	174	125,731	31.3
13	Maine	36	15	11,601	31.0
14	North Carolina	371	198	122,856	30.2
15	New Hampshire	35	16	11,770	29.7
16	California	1,189	711	402,075	29.6
17	New York	607	276	205,489	29.5
18	Connecticut	102	43	34,599	29.5
19	Virginia	251	131	94,054	26.7
20	Pennsylvania	316	149	127,299	24.8
21	Arizona	191	104	78,711	24.3
22	Washington	196	97	83,118	23.6
23	Oklahoma	112	64	47,962	23.4
24	Wyoming	14	6	6,089	23.0
25	Montana	26	9	11,331	22.9
26	Idaho	51	30	23,276	21.9
27	Florida	485	204	224,389	21.6
28	Michigan	212	104	99,525	21.3
29	Alaska	19	14	8,943	21.2
30	Arkansas	73	33	35,395	20.6
31	Tennessee	168	78	83,833	20.0
32	Nebraska	49	26	24,785	19.8
33	Louisiana	103	41	53,305	19.3
34	Georgia	239	108	126,437	18.9
35	Utah	85	44	46,664	18.2
36	Kansas	61	37	33,984	17.9
37	Missouri	122	62	67,998	17.9
38	Nevada	56	22	32,381	17.3
39	North Dakota	16	5	9,634	16.6
40	Texas	647	309	390,828	16.6
41	West Virginia	27	10	17,022	15.9
42	South Carolina	92	45	58,768	15.7
43	Indiana	121	60	80,257	15.1
44	Minnesota	93	47	62,110	15.0
45	Ohio	177	84	126,795	14.0
46	Wisconsin	78	34	59,686	13.1
47	Alabama	74	40	57,934	12.8
48	Iowa	45	21	36,436	12.4
49	Kentucky	62	23	52,913	11.7
50	South Dakota	10	3	11,451	8.7
51	Mississippi	29	10	33,473	8.7

Some states show the same rounded rate. The ranking uses unrounded values, so Mississippi (8.66) ranks below South Dakota (8.73).

How many list IBCLC as a credential?

Nationally, 4,160 of the 8,469 lactation consultants (49%) list IBCLC as a credential on their NPI record. That works out to 11.5 per 10,000 births.

Vermont is first on this measure too, at 39.8 per 10,000 births, followed by Oregon (24.6) and the District of Columbia (18.4). South Dakota (2.6, from 3 records), Mississippi (3.0) and Kentucky (4.3) are lowest.

The share that list IBCLC runs from 28% in New Mexico to 74% in Alaska, though Alaska's share rests on 19 lactation consultants. In California, which has the most lactation consultants, it is 60%.

Providers type their own credentials into their NPI record, so the credential line can be missing or out of date. A record without IBCLC does not mean the provider is not one.

What does IBCLC mean, and how do I check one?

IBCLC stands for International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. IBLCE, an international credentialing body, established the certification in 1985. IBCLCs must recertify every five years to keep the credential.

Anyone can check a credential in IBLCE's public registry. A search needs the person's name, and you can add their credential number. The registry updates within 24 hours of changes. We did not check our counts against it.

What are the limits of these numbers?

These counts likely undercount lactation consultants, and they are not a full census. Keep four things in mind.

NPI-registered only. We count only providers with a record in the NPPES NPI Registry. CMS says health care providers that are HIPAA-covered entities must get an NPI. A lactation consultant who is not one may have no NPI and would not show up here.
Hospitals and staff nurses left out. We left out hospitals, health systems, medical groups and other institutions. Registered nurse lactation consultants count only as practices or sole proprietors, so staff nurses who do this work are missing. A consultant whose phone number, state and category match a listed practice is counted once, as that practice.
Small states swing more. Where births are few, a few providers move the rate. In Vermont, each lactation consultant adds about 2.0 to the rate. In Texas, each adds about 0.03. Four states have fewer than 20 in our count: South Dakota (10), Wyoming (14), North Dakota (16) and Alaska (19).
Different years. Provider counts are from November 2026, but births are from 2024, the latest year with final state counts. The rates compare current providers with births from two years earlier.

How do I find one near me?

Search our free lactation consultant directory, or pick your state in the table above. If a credential matters to you, check it in IBLCE's registry before you book.

If you have health insurance, ask your plan what it covers. HealthCare.gov says Marketplace plans and other health insurance plans, except grandfathered plans, must provide breastfeeding support, counseling and equipment for the duration of breastfeeding.

How we got these numbers

Numbers as of November 3, 2026.

What we counted. Active Local Baby Support listings in our lactation consultant category on November 3, 2026. Each listing comes from a record in the NPPES NPI Registry, pulled November 2, 2026. CMS developed NPPES to assign National Provider Identifiers (NPIs). We included records with taxonomy code 174N00000X (Lactation Consultant, Non-RN), and records with 163WL0100X (Registered Nurse, Lactation Consultant) only for practices and sole proprietors. Each record counts in the state of its practice location address. The 8,469 total is 6,773 individual providers and 1,696 practices (organization records).

Births. Births by state for 2024 come from CDC NCHS FastStats. The 51 values (50 states and DC) add up to 3,628,934, the final 2024 US total in the NCHS report Births: Final Data for 2024, published June 9, 2026, so they are final figures. 2024 is the latest year with final state counts.

The rate. Lactation consultants divided by 2024 births, times 10,000, rounded to one decimal. Rank 1 has the most per birth. Ranks use the unrounded rate.

What we left out. Hospitals, health systems, school districts, government and university records, medical groups, unrelated specialties and staffing agencies; records with no phone number; registered nurse lactation consultants who are not sole proprietors; and any individual whose phone, state and category match a listed practice (we kept the practice).

Multi-state practices. Of the 8,469 records, 76 (under 1%) are locations of practices registered in several states: the same practice name registered 5 or more times in 3 or more states. They are included in the counts.

IBCLC. A lactation consultant counts as listing IBCLC when IBCLC appears in the credential text on their NPI record. Providers enter that text themselves. We did not check it against IBLCE's registry.

Years. Provider records are from November 2026. Births are from 2024.

This report was researched and drafted with AI tools, and every number was checked against our data and the sources linked here.