ATLANTA — Georgia is ranked among the most expensive states to have a baby, according to new analysis from Moneygeek.com.

Georgia was ranked No. 10 with out of pocket costs at just over $2,300 to have a baby. The average cost of a C-section is $2,350 in Georgia.

Rural states have less competitive hospital markets which can drive up prices as hospitals have more leverage to negotiate higher prices with insurers, officials said.

“Research on childbirth spending shows differences across states are driven mostly by price differences, especially for vaginal births, rather than by birth rates or C-section rates alone. Negotiated payment rates and local hospital market power explain much of this variation, with some hospitals and metro areas charging two to four times more than others for similar deliveries,” analysts from Moneygeek.com said.

The analysis finds Michigan, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware had much lower costs associated with giving birth.

The most expensive state to have a baby is Nebraska.