Best and Worst States to Raise a Family: All States Ranked

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JD Vance formally accepted the Republican vice-presidential nomination on Wednesday. The first-term senator from Ohio introduced himself to the country as Donald Trump’s running mate at the Republican National Convention. In his speech, he shared the story of growing up in a struggling working-class family.

"I want to give my kids the things that I didn’t have when I was growing up,” Vance said . Indeed, practically all parents want that for their children and their family. And regardless of who ends up in the White House after the elections, Americans want to believe that the elected president would work hard to help them achieve that - albeit using different policies.

To find the best and worst states to raise a family, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed Birth Injury Lawyer Group's report: The Best & Worst States in America to Raise a Family in 2024 . To rank the state, the report uses 16 indicators across four categories: health & safety, education & child care, affordability, and socioeconomics. All scores are on a scale of 40 to 85. For each state we added the poverty rate, high school attainment rate, and the number of families from the Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey. States are listed from worst to best.

Nevada ranks as the worst state to raise a family, followed by Louisiana and Mississippi. Nevada's lowest category score is in socioeconomics, with a high unemployment rate and low credit score. There is also limited access to quality health care in the state, according to the report, and a high violent crime rate. Affordability is Nevada's best scoring category, but while housing is relatively affordable, living costs are high. (Also see: This is the Worst State to Work in America .)

At the other end of the spectrum, Massachusetts ranks as the best state to raise a family, followed by Vermont and North Dakota. Massachusetts' worst category is affordability, with high costs of living. Still, the relatively high wages alleviate the high costs and sallow families to afford living in a state that prioritizes children's health, including low infant mortality, low child uninsured rate, and relatively many pediatricians. The state also has a good education system and ranks high in socioeconomics measures.

The state that excels in the health & safety category is Vermont, while Arkansas ranks last in the category. In education & childcare, Utah ranks the highest and West Virginia ranks last. North Dakota leads in affordability, a category in which Hawaii struggles and ranks last. Finally, Vermont also leads in socioeconomics, where Louisiana ranks worst.

Why this matters

There are many reasons people choose to raise a family in a certain place, many of them not really measurable. Wanting to be near family (grandparents and aunts and uncles) is often a significant factor. Those who do move, often do this for work. Either way, this list can help determine whether those living in a certain state need to demand their elected officials to do better and in what areas, or it can help suggest states to move to.

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