Best & Worst States to Raise a Family (2025)

Certain states make it easier than others to raise a family. The ideal state is one that’s affordable to live in that also offers a high degree of safety and good job prospects, on top of quality education, healthcare and entertainment.

To help people find cities with the perfect combination of those factors, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 50 key indicators of family-friendliness. Our data set includes factors like the median annual family income, housing affordability, health care quality, crime rate, and school quality.

“Raising a family has become significantly more expensive in recent years as the cost of living has risen quickly. In fact, it can cost a family well over $300,000 to raise a child to age 18, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In light of the expensive nature of being a parent and the responsibility it entails, it’s important to live in a city that is affordable while still providing quality health care, education, safety and opportunities for enrichment.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

Main Findings

Best States for Families

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Median Family Income*

Highest

• 1. Virginia
• 2. Minnesota
• 3. Illinois
• 4. New Jersey
• 5. Colorado

Lowest

• 46. Nevada
• 47. Maine
• 48. West Virginia
• 49. Hawaii
• 50. New Mexico

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Virginia vs. New Mexico

Affordable Housing

Most

• 1. Iowa
• 2. North Dakota
• 3. Kansas
• 4. Nebraska
• 5. South Dakota

Least

• 46. New York
• 47. Nevada
• 48. Florida
• 49. Hawaii
• 50. California

Child Care Costs**

Lowest

• 1. South Dakota
• 2. Missouri
• 3. West Virginia
• 4. Utah
• 5. Minnesota

Highest

• 46. Nevada
• 47. Massachusetts
• 48. Rhode Island
• 49. New Mexico
• 50. New York

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

South Dakota vs. New York

Families with Young Kids

Lowest

• 1. Utah
• 2. Texas
• 3. Nebraska
• 4. Alaska
• 5. North Dakota

Highest

• 46. Delaware
• 47. Maine
• 48. Florida
• 49. Hawaii
• 50. West Virginia

Infant Mortality Rate

Lowest

• 1. Massachusetts
• 2. New Hampshire
• 3. New Jersey
• 4. Rhode Island
• 5. California

Highest

• 46. Louisiana
• 47. West Virginia
• 48. Arkansas
• 49. South Dakota
• 50. Mississippi

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

Massachusetts vs. Mississippi

Violent Crimes per Capita

Fewest

• 1. Maine
• 2. New Hampshire
• 3. Connecticut
• 4. Rhode Island
• 5. Wyoming

Most

• T-46. Tennessee
• T-46. Louisiana
• T-46. Arkansas
• T-46. Alaska
• T-46. New Mexico

Best State vs. Worst State: 8x Difference

Maine vs. New Mexico

% of Families in Poverty

Lowest

• 1. New Hampshire
• 2. Minnesota
• 3. Utah
• 4. Vermont
• 5. Colorado

Highest

• 46. Kentucky
• 47. West Virginia
• 48. New Mexico
• 49. Louisiana
• 50. Mississippi

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

New Hampshire vs. Mississippi

Separation & Divorce Rate

Lowest

• 1. Utah
• 2. North Dakota
• 3. New Jersey
• 4. Hawaii
• 5. Minnesota

Highest

• 46. Florida
• 47. Mississippi
• 48. Louisiana
• 49. Nevada
• 50. New Mexico

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Utah vs. New Mexico

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Notes:
*Adjusted for cost of living
**Adjusted for median family income

In-Depth Look at the Best States for Families

Massachusetts

Massachusetts is the best state to raise a family, in large part because it provides a good blend of economic opportunities and safe conditions for children. The Bay State has the best job security in the country and the 10th-lowest poverty rate, which increases the likelihood that parents will be able to provide for their children. It’s not the cheapest state, as housing and child care costs are relatively high compared to most of the nation, but residents make up for this with fairly high incomes.

When it comes to health and overall wellbeing, Massachusetts has the best water quality in the country, the highest rate of children with health insurance, and the lowest infant mortality rate. It also has the second-highest overall life expectancy and third-lowest property crime rate.

Education is also one of the most important factors when raising a family. Massachusetts isn’t just famous for universities like Harvard and MIT – it also ranks first among the states with the best public school systems for children.

Minnesota

Minnesota is the second-best state to raise a family, at least if you’re not averse to its harsh winters. Minnesota is a great place to find a job to support your family, as it has the second-highest median family income, at over $104,000, adjusted for the cost of living. It also has the second-lowest poverty rate for families and the ninth-lowest wealth gap between the lowest and highest earners. In addition to good pay, residents also receive reliable long-term benefits, as Minnesota ranks 11th in the country for employer-based retirement plan access and participation.

Another great thing about raising a family in the Land of 10,000 Lakes is what it can do for your children’s health. The state has the third-highest life expectancy at birth and the sixth-best public hospitals in the country. It also encourages children to stay fit amid the obesity epidemic, as it has the fifth-highest percentage of children who live in neighborhoods with a park or playground.

To top things off, families tend to stay together in Minnesota, as it has the fifth-lowest separation and divorce rate in the country.

North Dakota

North Dakota claims third place among the best states for families, offering significant savings on rent. The average annual rent for a two-bedroom apartment costs just 16.5% of the median income in the state, the lowest percentage in the country. And if you’re looking to buy, North Dakota has the 13th-cheapest median home price. Other economic conditions are good in the state as well, as it has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and the sixth-lowest poverty rate for families.

If you want to make sure your family stays together, North Dakota seems to be a good place for it, boasting the second-lowest separation and divorce rate in the country. North Dakota also has the 5th highest percentage of families with children under age 18, which can help your children make friends.

Finally, North Dakota has good options for child care and education. It has the second-most day cares per capita, and the third-highest day care quality in the nation. Plus, it has the 10th-best school systems and the eighth-highest share of parents who say their children go to safe schools.

Ask the Experts

Not all states are created equal. Some are more conducive to pleasant family life than others. With those differences in mind, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What should families consider when choosing a place to settle down?
2. To what degree is a child’s development and a family’s quality of life influenced by the state in which they live? How?
3. How can authorities make their states more attractive to young families?
4. What are some specific factors that affect child and family well-being?
5. In evaluating the best states for families, what are the top five indicators?

Ask the Experts

Brad Wilcox
University Professor of Sociology, Director of National Marriage Project – University of Virginia
Read More

Monica Oxford
MSW, Ph.D. – The Kathryn Barnard Endowed Professor for Infant Mental Health; Executive Director, Barnard Center for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health; Director of Parent-Child Relationship Programs; Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing – Washington University, School of Nursing
Read More

Daniel J. Puhlman
Ph.D., LMFT – Assistant Professor of Family Studies, College of Education and Human Development; Child and Family Studies; Head of the Parenting Relationships Research Lab – University of Maine
Read More

Tom Chiaromonte
Ph.D. – Director - Center for Early Childhood Collaboration; Professor - Child Development & Educational Studies – Fullerton College
Read More

Susan K. Walker
Professor Emeritus, Family Social Science, College of Education and Human Development – University of Minnesota
Read More

Dr. Sarah L. Pierotti
Assistant Professor in Human Development & Family Studies – Penn State-DuBois
Read More

More Experts

Methodology

In order to determine the best states to raise a family, WalletHub compared the 50 states across five key dimensions: 1) Family Fun, 2) Health & Safety, 3) Education & Child Care, 4) Affordability and 5) Socio-economics.

We evaluated those dimensions using 50 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for family life.

Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

Family Fun – Total Points: 20

• Share of Families with Young Children: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  Note: “Young Children” includes the population aged 0 to 17.
• Number of Attractions: Triple Weight (~10.00 Points)
• Fitness & Recreational Sports Centers per Capita: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 0 to 17 Who Live in Neighborhoods with a Park or Playground: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

Health & Safety – Total Points: 20

• Share of Uninsured Children: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
  Note: “Children” includes the population aged 0 to 18.
• Pediatricians per Capita: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
• Number of Children’s Hospitals per Total Number of Children Aged 0 to 17: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
• Quality of Public Hospitals: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on public-hospital ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
• Infant-Mortality Rate: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
• Life Expectancy at Birth: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
• Number of Climate Disasters Causing $1 Billion+ in Damages in Past Decades: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
• Air Pollution: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
• Water Quality: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
• Violent Crimes per Capita: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
• Property Crimes per Capita: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 6 to 17 Who Go to Safe Schools: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
• Safety Ranking of Roads Around School: Half Weight (~0.69 Points)
  Note: School safety scores and rankings are based on unsafe driving events detected by the Zendrive platform within school areas.
• Share of Children Aged 0 to 17 Who Live in Supportive Neighborhoods: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
  Note: Supportive neighborhoods are neighborhoods where people help each other out, watch out for each other’s children and know where to go for help in the community.
• Share of Children Aged 0 to 17 Living with Parents Who Have Support: Full Weight (~1.38 Points)
  Note: This metric refers to children whose parents have someone to turn to for day-to-day emotional support with parenting or raising children.

Education & Child Care – Total Points: 20

• Quality of Public Schools: Double Weight (~4.00 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “States with the Best & Worst School Systems” ranking.
• Public High School Graduation Rate: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
• Child Day-Care Services per Capita: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
• Day-Care Quality: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
• Child-Care Costs: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
  Note: This metric was adjusted for the median family income.
• Parental Leave: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on parental-leave policy scores from the National Partnership for Women & Families.
• Number of Childcare Workers per Total Number of Children: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 6 to 17 Who Participate in School Extracurricular Activities: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 6 to 17 Who Participate in Community Service or Volunteer Work: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)

Affordability – Total Points: 20

• Housing Affordability: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Housing Costs (accounts for both rental and sale prices) / Median Annual Family Income.
• Median Credit Score: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
• Median Mortgage Debt: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the median amount of mortgage debt per adult, as share of median earnings.
• Median Non-Mortgage Debt: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the median amount of non-mortgage debt per adult, as share of median earnings.
• Share of People Who Save Money for their Children’s College Education: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 0 to 17 Whose Family Had Problems Paying Medical Bills: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
  Note: This metric refers to children whose family had problems paying for the children’s medical or health care bills during the past 12 months.
• Paid Family Leave: Double Weight (~3.64 Points)
• Retirement Access & Participation: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
  Note: “Retirement” refers to employer-based plans only.
• Median Annual Family Income: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
  Note: This metric was adjusted for the cost of living.
• Average Annual Family Health Insurance Premium: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)

Socio-economics – Total Points: 20

• Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Median Duration of Current Marriage: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Share of Two-Parent Families: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Wealth Gap: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Share of Families Living in Poverty: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Share of Families Receiving Food Stamps: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Job Security: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated as follows: (Number of Employees in 2024 June - Number of Employees in 2023 June) / Number of Employees in 2023 June.
• Job Opportunities: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Number of Job Openings per Number of Population in Labor Force Minus Unemployed Rate.
• Share of Work-Related Stressed Tweets: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on PlushCare’s analysis of retrieved geotagged tweets from 340 major cities in the U.S.
• Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of September 19, 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics, Child Care Aware of America, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Council for Community and Economic Research, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, National Partnership for Women & Families, TransUnion, The Pew Charitable Trusts, United Health Foundation, Indeed, U.S. News & World Report, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, National Climatic Data Center, FINRA Investor Education Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Kaiser Family Foundation, ATTOM, a property data provider - U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, Zendrive, TripAdvisor, PlushCare and WalletHub research.

Supporting Video Files:

• YouTube - National (for web embedding)
• YouTube - Massachusetts (for web embedding)
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