2022’s Best & Worst Places to Raise a Family – WalletHub Study

With nearly 32% of people who moved last year citing being closer to family as the main reason, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Best & Worst Places to Raise a Family, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary.

To determine the most family-friendly places in America, WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 46 key metrics. The data set ranges from housing affordability to school-system quality to the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated.

Best Cities for Families Worst Cities for Families
1. Fremont, CA 173. Augusta, GA
2. Overland Park, KS 174. Jackson, MS
3. Irvine, CA 175. Shreveport, LA
4. Plano, TX 176. Fayetteville, NC
5. Columbia, MD 177. Newark, NJ
6. San Diego, CA 178. San Bernardino, CA
7. Seattle, WA 179. Birmingham, AL
8. San Jose, CA 180. Memphis, TN
9. Madison, WI 181. Cleveland, OH
10. Scottsdale, AZ 182. Detroit, MI

Best vs. Worst

  • New York has the most playgrounds (per square root of the population), 0.666034, which is 13.4 times more than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the fewest at 0.049627.
  • Irvine, California, has the fewest violent crimes (per 1,000 residents), 0.51, which is 46.1 times fewer than in Memphis, Tennessee, the city with the most at 23.52.
  • Columbia, Maryland, has the highest median family annual income (adjusted for cost of living), $123,819, which is 3.4 times higher than in Newark, New Jersey, the city with the lowest at $36,758.
  • Overland Park, Kansas, has the lowest share of families receiving food stamps, 2.03 percent, which is 20.6 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 41.73 percent.
  • South Burlington, Vermont, has the lowest share of families living in poverty, 2.50 percent, which is eleven times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 27.60 percent.

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