If you're thinking of starting a family and are looking for good places to raise kids, you could do a lot worse than the Bay State.
In fact, Massachusetts was named the best state in the U.S. to raise a family, according to new study from WalletHub. Comparing categories such as family fun, health and safety, education, affordability and socio-economics, the Bay State ranked first in the nation, beating out North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and New York, who rounded out the top five. The personal finance site looked at median annual family income, housing affordability and the unemployment rate.
Why Massachusetts is such a good state for families
The finance site shared more information about why our state topped the list, explaining that Massachusetts provides a good blend of economic opportunities and safe conditions for children.
What’s this mean? We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and lots of job opportunities relative to the labor force, which ensures that parents will be able to provide for their children.
What are some family-friendly activities in Boston?
There are so many great family friendly restaurants and things to do with kids in Boston, check out our guides for all of our top tips!
But what are the downsides to living in Massachusetts?
Wallethub noted that Massachusetts is far from the cheapest state, as housing and childcare costs are relatively high compared to most of the nation, but noted that many residents make up for this with fairly high incomes.
How did Massachusetts rank overall?
Massachusetts topped the list for education and child care, came in third for affordability and fifth for health and safety. It also ranked ninth for family fun. The worst category for Massachusetts? Socioeconomics, where we state ranked 21st.
Our education is world class, according to WalletHub, as we have a reputation for good school systems for children, and it ranks first in that category. In addition, the state is a good place for safeguarding children’s health, offering the best water quality in the country, the highest rate of insured children, and one of the lowest infant mortality rates.
How does the rest of New England rank?
While Massachusetts may top the list, the rest of New England finished very high as well, with both Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island finishing in the top ten. Main was sixth, followed by New Hampshire at seventh and Rhode Island at number nine. Connecticut just missed the top ten at number 12.
Where are the worst states to raise a family?
Many of the states toward the bottom of the list are in the south and southwest. Rounding out the bottom of the list were Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, West Virginia, Mississippi and at number 50, New Mexico.