The best and worst states to raise a family in 2018

best and worst cites to raise a family according to a WalletHub 2018 report. Picture shows a family of four smiling at each other in bed.

Starting a family or have a growing family? The new year is a good time to find how much it will cost to keep your family healthy and happy. In a new report by the personal-finance website WalletHub, 2018’s Best & Worst States to Raise a Family. People are optimistic about growth in hiring and single-family home starts.

Best and worst states to raise a family

To compose the list of best states to put down family roots, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 42 key indicators of family friendliness. In the report, the data set ranges from median family salary to housing affordability to unemployment. See below:

Best States for Families Worst States for Families
1 Massachusetts 41 Nevada
2 Minnesota 42 Georgia
3 New Hampshire 43 Arkansas
4 North Dakota 44 South Carolina
5 Vermont 45 Oklahoma
6 Wisconsin 46 Louisiana
7 New York 47 West Virginia
8 Iowa 48 Alabama
9 Nebraska 49 Mississippi
10 California 50 New Mexico

Highlights from the report

  • Minnesota has the highest median family annual income (adjusted for cost of living), $80,399, which is 1.8 times higher than in Hawaii, where it is lowest at $44,295.
  • Utah has the lowest divorce rate, 16.18 percent, which is 1.6 times lower than in Nevada, where it is highest at 26.57 percent.
  • New Hampshire has the lowest share of families living below the poverty level, 5.3 percent, which is 3.3 times lower than in Mississippi, where it is highest at 17.4 percent.
  • Mississippi has the lowest average annual cost of early childcare (adjusted for median family income), 6.15 percent, which is 2.3 times lower than in the New York, where it is highest at 14.12 percent.
  • New Hampshire has the lowest infant-mortality rate, 4.18 percent, which is 2.2 times lower than in Mississippi, where it is highest at 9.27 percent.
  • Maine has the fewest violent crimes (per 1,000 residents), 1.24, which is 6.5 times fewer than in Alaska, the state with the most at 8.04.

View the full report and your state’s rank now for more information, including:

  • Most affordable housing
  • Lowest childcare costs
  • Most families with young kids
  • Most violent crimes per capita
  • Lowest percent of families in poverty
  • Lowest divorce rate

 

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