10 Best and Worst States To Raise a Family in 2024

Choosing where your family calls home is no easy decision, as there are a lot of considerations to take into account. Numerous factors can impact the environment that you, your partner and your kids live in, like cost of living , health, education and more. While no “great place” isn’t without its faults, nor is any “bad place” 100% awful, there are pluses and minuses to each state in America.

The Birth Injury Lawyers Group recently conducted a study on the best and worst states to raise a family in America in 2024. The study “underscores a critical point: a state’s commitment to family well-being, particularly in areas like healthcare access and quality, has a direct impact on the risk of preventable birth injuries,” a spokesperson behind the data said. “States that prioritize maternal and infant health, as evidenced by low uninsured rates, access to specialized care, and low infant mortality, provide a safer environment for families welcoming new babies.”

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For the study, states were ranked with 16 criteria in four categories: health and safety, education and childcare, affordability, and socioeconomics. Based on the study, here are the 10 best and worst states to raise a family in 2024.

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Where Should You Raise a Family?

Taking these criteria into consideration, the study found that these are the best 10 states in the nation to raise a family (ranked from 1st to 10th):

• Massachusetts
• Vermont
• North Dakota
• Minnesota
• New Hampshire
• South Dakota
• Iowa
• Maine
• Utah
• Pennsylvania.

As you can see, Massachusetts is ranked as the best state to raise a family. According to the study, the state “excels in key areas.” For example, “Massachusetts prioritizes the health of its youngest residents. Only 1.5% of children lack health insurance, and the state boasts a robust network of 117.5 certified pediatricians per 100,000 children,” per the study.

Pennsylvania just made it into the top 10, with the study calling it a “great” place for families. Among other factors, the state ranked high in the socioeconomics category, with the study saying it “provides a secure backdrop for families to thrive.”

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Should You Avoid Raising a Family in These States?

On the other side of the data, this study found that these are the 10 worst states in America for families (ranked from 41st to 50th):

• Alabama
• Arizona
• South Carolina
• Texas
• New Mexico
• Arkansas
• California
• Mississippi
• Louisiana
• Nevada.

Nevada ranks last in the country, with low scores across all categories. Namely, Nevada’s health and safety is concerning. “Limited access to quality healthcare, reflected in a 7.6% rate of uninsured children and a high violent crime rate of 454 incidents per 100,000 people, contributes to a less-than-ideal environment for families seeking security and well-being,” according to the study.

Breaking It Down

To get a better sense of these rankings, here is a breakdown of the best and worst states to raise a family based on the four categories the study used: health and safety, education and childcare, affordability, and socioeconomics.

Health and Safety

• Best state: Vermont
• Worst state: Arkansas

Vermont ranked the highest for health and safety in the country. It has the distinction of having 99.2 certified pediatricians per 100,000 children and an infant mortality rate of 3.16 deaths per 1,000 live births. And according to the Vermont Department of Health , “Vermont consistently ranks as one of the healthiest states in the nation.”

For families looking for great healthcare and those that might be expecting children in the near future, Vermont is definitely a state to consider for these reasons alone.

Arkansas, on the other hand, has a higher infant mortality rate — 8.59 deaths per 1,000 live births — and 5.9% of children there don’t have health insurance.

Education and Childcare

• Best state: Utah
• Worst state: West Virginia

Utah has a reputation for being a family-centric state. According to this study, it has a perfect score in the education and childcare category. It has a larger number of households with children, as well as a high rate of education. In the state, over 93% of adults have a high school diploma or higher.

According to the governor of Utah’s website , the state is “known as the most family-friendly state in the nation,” with the governor forming the Office of Families in 2022 to ensure children in the state have better outcomes.

West Virginia, on the other hand, has fewer children in households, as well as fewer graduates of high school or higher.

Affordability

• Best state: North Dakota
• Worst state: Hawaii

North Dakota ranks as the most affordable state in America. According to the study, the median home price is just $257,599. Add to that a rent-to-income ratio of 17.2% and an average monthly wage of $5,014, and you have a very affordable state to raise a family.

This is a far cry from Hawaii, which came in last for affordability. Its median home price is $784,900, and its rent-to-income ratio is 35.2% — much higher than North Dakota’s. However, residents in the state have an average monthly wage of only $5,118 — not much higher than North Dakota’s.

Socioeconomics

• Best state: Vermont
• Worst state: Louisiana

Once again, Vermont takes the top spot — this time with socioeconomics. Its unemployment rate is a low 2.1%, and the average resident has a relatively high credit score of 737. Louisiana came in last in the nation in terms of socioeconomics, with an unemployment rate more than double Vermont’s at 4.3% and an average credit score of 690.

While there are lots of considerations for moving a family and raising children in a certain state, sorting through this data can give you a better picture of what states in America might be better than others to call home.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com : 10 Best and Worst States To Raise a Family in 2024