WASHINGTON (TND) — A new study from WalletHub shows the best and worst places across the U.S. to raise a family.
The study, which was released on Tuesday, includes a list of 182 municipalities, as well as the amenities they offer, such as family fun, health and safety, education and child car, affordability, and socio-economics.
With families in mind, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities based on 45 key metrics that consider essential family dynamics, such as the cost of housing, the quality of local school and health-care systems, and the opportunities for fun and recreation,” according to a news release. “While obviously not perfect — given personal preferences and the limitations of publicly available data — our findings will hopefully give movers a sense of their options.”
Each metric, said WalletHub, was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for family life.
WalletHub said it consulted experts in multiple fields, such as family studies, psychology and household finance for “tips, insights and a few cautionary tales.”
Fremont, California ranks as number 1 with a total score of 73.71, while Cleveland, Ohio is at the bottom of the list, scoring a 34.65.
Here’s the full list:
1. Fremont, CA
2. Overland Park, KS
3. Irvine, CA
4. Plano, TX
5. South Burlington, VT
6. San Diego, CA
7. San Jose, CA
8. Scottsdale, AZ
9. Gilbert, AZ
10. San Francisco, CA
11. Seattle, WA
12. Lincoln, NE
13. Columbia, MD
14. Huntington Beach, CA
15. Bismarck, ND
16. Fargo, ND
17. Madison, WI
18. Boise, ID
19. Virginia Beach, VA
20. Warwick, RI
21. Chandler, AZ
22. Portland, ME
23. Cedar Rapids, IA
24. Sioux Falls, SD
25. Nashua, NH
26. Austin, TX
27. Omaha, NE
28. Henderson, NV
29. Lexington-Fayette, KY
30. Portland, OR
31. Chesapeake, VA
32. Lewiston, ME
33. Honolulu, HI
34. Charleston, SC
35. Rancho Cucamonga, CA
36. Santa Rosa, CA
37. Minneapolis, MN
38. Sacramento, CA
39. Pearl City, HI
40. Pembroke Pines, FL
41. Denver, CO
42. Washington, D.C.
43. Pittsburgh, PA
44. Raleigh, NC
45. Burlington, VT
46. Chula Vista, CA
47. Peoria, AZ
48. Santa Clarita, CA
49. Casper, WY
50. Aurora, IL
51. Grand Prairie, TX
52. Billings, MT
53. Tampa, FL
54. Missoula, MT
55. St. Paul, MN
56. Colorado Springs, CO
57. Salt Lake City, UT
58. Orlando, FL
59. Huntsville, AL
60. St. Petersburg, FL
61. Charlotte, NC
62. Oceanside, CA
63. Las Vegas, NV
64. Nampa, ID
65. Oklahoma City, OK
66. Columbus, OH
67. Glendale, CA
68. Reno, NV
69. Port St. Lucie, FL
70. Cheyenne, WY
71. New York, NY
72. Garden Grove, CA
73. Jersey City, NJ
74. Juneau, AK53.70
75. Des Moines, IA
76. Kansas City, MO
77. Modesto, CA
78. Spokane, WA
79. Grand Rapids, MI
80. Atlanta, GA
81. Yonkers, NY
82. Durham, NC
83. Rapid City, SD
84. Boston, MA
85. Irving, TX
86. Los Angeles, CA
87. Laredo, TX
88. Louisville, KY
89. Cape Coral, FL
90. Fort Worth, TX
91. Amarillo, TX
92. Charleston, WV
93. Brownsville, TX
94. Tulsa, OK
95. Anaheim, CA
96. Chicago, IL
97. Arlington, TX
98. Garland, TX
99. Bakersfield, CA
100. Cincinnati, OH
101. Tallahassee, FL
102. Oakland, CA
103. Mesa, AZ
104. Salem, OR
105. Vancouver, WA
106. Jacksonville, FL
107. Phoenix, AZ
108. Anchorage, AK
109. Manchester, NH
110. West Valley City, UT
111. Providence, RI
112. El Paso, TX
113. Tempe, AZ
114. Oxnard, CA
115. Fontana, CA
116. Nashville, TN
117. Riverside, CA
118. Tacoma, WA
119. Fort Wayne, IN
120. Worcester, MA
121. Long Beach, CA
122. Buffalo, NY
123. San Antonio, TX
124. Knoxville, TN
125. Stockton, CA
126. Albuquerque, NM
127. Philadelphia, PA
128. Glendale, AZ
129. Chattanooga, TN
130. Lubbock, TX
131. Winston-Salem, NC
132. Fort Smith, AR
133. Greensboro, NC
134. Corpus Christi, TX
135. Moreno Valley, CA
136. Springfield, MO
137. Aurora, CO
138. Dallas, TX
139. Dover, DE
140. Columbus, GA
141. Houston, TX
142. Fresno, CA
143. Richmond, VA
144. Santa Ana, CA
145. Rochester, NY
146. Ontario, CA
147. Norfolk, VA
148. Indianapolis, IN
149. Milwaukee, WI
150. Las Cruces, NM
151. Wichita, KS
152. Tucson, AZ
153Newport News, VA
154Akron, OH
155Huntington, WV
156Columbia, SC
157Little Rock, AR
158. North Las Vegas, NV
159. Baton Rouge, LA
160. St. Louis, MO
161. Toledo, OH
162. Mobile, AL
163. Miami, FL
164. Montgomery, AL
165. Fort Lauderdale, FL
166. Gulfport, MS
167. Bridgeport, CT
168. New Haven, CT
169. Jackson, MS
170. Fayetteville, NC
171. New Orleans, LA
172. Augusta, GA
173. Wilmington, DE
174. Hialeah, FL
175. Baltimore, MD
176. Shreveport, LA
177. San Bernardino, CA
178. Newark, NJ
179. Birmingham, AL
180. Detroit, MI
181. Memphis, TN
182. Cleveland, OH
The release noted that “the average American can expect to move an estimated 11.7 times in a lifetime.” Reasons include a new job or long-term wealth accumulation, as well as instability like a foreclosure or job loss.
“During this period of high inflation, many families will consider moving to a place with a relatively low cost of living,” according to WalletHub.