The San Francisco Bay locale topped the list thanks to high ranks in health, education and socioeconomic factors. Its only drawback is a low ranking for “family fun.”
Neighboring San Jose took seventh place and San Francisco 12th in the study, which looked at 45 different metrics on quality of life — including subjects like housing costs, schools, hospitals and recreation.
In the southern area of the Golden State, Irvine was third while San Diego enjoyed the eighth spot and Huntington Beach dropped in at 10th place.
Second overall and the most affordable on the list is Overland Park, Kansas — a Kansas City, Missouri, suburb about 13 miles south. It is followed by Irvine, California, which has the best health and safety numbers, then by Plano, Texas, in the fourth spot, and Seattle, Washington, in fifth.
The best in the eastern US are Charleston, South Carolina, at 14 and Virginia Beach at 18.
In the Washington DC, area, Columbia, Maryland, is 21, and Chesapeake, Virginia, is No. 23.
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In the Northeast, New England enjoyed the highest rankings with Warwick, Rhode Island, at 27, immediately followed by Portland, Maine, at 28 and Nashua, New Hampshire, at 31.
Boston is exactly 50 slots behind at 81.
Nearer to NYC, Jersey City, New Jersey, landed at No. 52 with New York City checking in at a measly 73. The Big Apple was crushed on affordability and socioeconomic stats.
Nearby Yonkers in Westchester took 81 for similar reasons.
At the tail end of the list, Memphis, Tennessee, came in at No. 182. Rounding out the bottom are Detroit, Michigan (181), Cleveland, Ohio (180), NYC neighbor Newark, New Jersey (179), and Gulfport, Mississippi, and San Bernardino, California, tied in 177th place.
And Fremont, population 225,000, is also the best place to raise a family in the United States because of its overall wealth, health and access to activities, according to WalletHub's 2024 Best Cities For Families ranking.
And Fremont, population 225,000, is also the best place to raise a family in the United States because of its overall wealth, health and access to activities, according to WalletHub's 2024 Best Cities For Families ranking.
“Notably, many of the top-ranking cities are in California, especially in terms of family activities, health, safety and education. Cities like Fremont, Irvine, San Jose and San Diego consistently rank highly across multiple categories,” says Happe.
For the second year in a row, Massachusetts is the best state to raise a family. The New England state earned a total score of 66.97 and ranked first in education and child care.
The WalletHub team ranked Overland Park, Kansas as the second best city to raise a family. The city also ranked No. 1 in affordability. Plano, Texas and Seattle, Washington also ranked in the top 10 for both overall rankings and affordability.
As the best place to raise a family, Fremont boasts a high average net worth ($122,000), low poverty, public schools rated at least 7 out of 10 and abundant summer camp opportunities and green spaces.
Westminster, Colorado, is the most affordable and safest large city, with a five-year income change of 58% — the second highest in our study. Following closely are Surprise, Arizona; Thornton, Colorado; and Arvada, Colorado, each experiencing over 35% income growth and mortgage costs below 26% of household income.
1. Massachusetts. Raising a child in Massachusetts costs an estimated $35,841 a year – the most expensive state in the country and nearly double the national average.
What are the best states to relocate to? New Hampshire and Wyoming lead the list of the best states to live in with the best mix of jobs, home prices, quality of healthcare and more, study shows.
According to the survey, health care and education were ranked highest, and had the most weight in determining the best states to live. Utah once again topped the list, followed by New Hampshire, Nebraska, Minnesota and Idaho rounding out the top five.
At the top of the list is Stockholm, Sweden, with a 6.57/10 score. Sweden boasted high scores when it came to government money spent on education and family benefits, parental leave, access to green spaces and overall country happiness.
Explanation: The single-parent family is the fastest growing family type in North America. This type of family consists of one parent raising one or more children on their own.
The best in the eastern US are Charleston, South Carolina, at 14 and Virginia Beach at 18. In the Washington DC, area, Columbia, Maryland, is 21, and Chesapeake, Virginia, is No. 23.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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