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If you have a family, you might be better off living in the Midwest or the South.
- Sept. 13, 2018
Which large American cities are the most family friendly? Generally speaking, according to a recent study by the rental listings site Zumper, you are probably better off living in the Midwest or the South if you have children.
Higher mortgage rates, more expensive child care and longer commutes were among the reasons Northeastern cities didn’t fare as well in the study. Not surprisingly, New York City ranked low — 84th out of 94.
So which cities were the best? After weighing various factors important to family life — including median incomes, housing costs, unemployment and crime rates, and the percentage of the population under 45 — the study ranked Madison, Wis., in first place, followed by Lincoln, Neb., and Lexington, Ky. (Sources included the United States Census Bureau, the F.B.I. and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.)
Six of the country’s 100 largest cities were eliminated because of incomplete data or because they overlapped in census reporting. The 10 best and worst of the remaining 94 are listed below, along with the primary factors that contributed to their rankings.
Ranked 1-10
Ranked 85-94
Madison, Wis.
Lowest high school dropout rate,
average commute under 20 min.
Chicago
High housing costs, crime rate
and commute times
Lincoln, Neb.
Low mortgage costs relative to
income, short commute times
Oakland, Calif.
High housing costs, crime rate
and high school dropout rate
Lexington, Ky.
Low infant care and housing
costs, low crime rate
Newark
Long commute times, low median
income, high crime rate
Boise, Idaho
Short commute times, low infant
care and housing costs
Buffalo
High crime, high school
dropout and unemployment rates
Tallahassee, Fla.
Good museums, low rents, large
population under 45
San Francisco
High housing costs and commute
times, large population over 45
Philadelphia
High housing costs, low median
income, long commute times
Cleveland
Low median income, high
unemployment and crime rates
Omaha
Low housing costs,
short commute times
Des Moines
Short commute times, low crime
rate and housing costs
Las Vegas
High unemployment, large
population over 45
Austin, Tex.
Low unemployment rate,
high median income
Detroit
High housing costs and high
school dropout rate, low
median income
Lubbock, Tex.
Low mortgage costs, shortest
commute time of all cities
Baltimore
High crime rate, housing costs
and unemployment rate
Ranked 1-10
Madison, Wis.
Lowest high school dropout rate,
average commute under 20 min.
Lincoln, Neb.
Low mortgage costs relative to
income, short commute times
Lexington, Ky.
Low infant care and housing
costs, low crime rate
Boise, Idaho
Short commute times, low infant
care and housing costs
Tallahassee, Fla.
Good museums, low rents, large
population under 45
Raleigh, N.C.
Strong local economy, large
population under 45
Omaha
Low housing costs,
short commute times
Des Moines
Short commute times, low crime
rate and housing costs
Austin, Tex.
Low unemployment rate,
high median income
Lubbock, Tex.
Low mortgage costs, shortest
commute time of all cities
Ranked 85-94
Chicago
High housing costs, crime rate
and commute times
Oakland, Calif.
High housing costs, crime rate
and high school dropout rate
Newark
Long commute times, low median
income, high crime rate
Buffalo
High crime, high school
dropout and unemployment rates
San Francisco
High housing costs and commute
times, large population over 45
Philadelphia
High housing costs, low median
income, long commute times
Cleveland
Low median income, high
unemployment and crime rates
Las Vegas
High unemployment, large
population over 45
Detroit
High housing costs and high
school dropout rate, low
median income
Baltimore
High crime rate, housing costs
and unemployment rate
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