This Is the Worst State to Raise a Family

Special Report

Published: December 14, 2021 2:00 pm

Last Updated: December 15, 2021 2:51 pm

Adults consider many factors when they consider the best place to raise a family. Some involve education or recreational facilities. Still others consider crime and other matters of safety or climate. Whether relatives are close by is another factor considered. This cuts two ways, however. Not everyone has a good relationship with parents, siblings, and the like. (If there’s a chance that you’d like to move abroad, these are the least expensive countries to raise a family.)

24/7 Tempo has developed a list of the worst states in which to raise a family, using data compiled by the credit reporting and advice site WalletHub. The site compared states across five key dimensions: family fun, health and safety, education and childcare, affordability, and socio-economics. From this list, we picked the worst one based on those measures. And it’s New Mexico. Mississippi came right behind it. Both scored particularly badly when it comes to socio-economics. (See how many children live in poverty in your state.)

Click here to see the best and worst states to raise a family

In making their calculations, WalletHub evaluated their five dimensions using 52 variously weighted metrics, including share of families with young children, pediatricians per capita, quality of public schools, housing affordability, job opportunities and security, and separation and divorce rate. Data on the total number of families in each state comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey one-year estimates.

1. Massachusetts
> WalletHub score: 60.88
> Top metric: ‘Education & Child Care’ (#3 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,665,005 — #16 highest

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2. Minnesota
> WalletHub score: 60.57
> Top metric: ‘Health & Safety’ (#5 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,401,623 — #22 highest

ALSO READ: Best And Worst States To Live In

3. North Dakota
> WalletHub score: 60.10
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#1 best in the nation)
> Families: 189,509 — #47 highest

4. New York
> WalletHub score: 59.80
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#2 best in the nation)
> Families: 4,636,356 — #4 highest

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5. Vermont
> WalletHub score: 59.16
> Top metric: ‘Health & Safety’ (#1 best in the nation)
> Families: 156,153 — #49 highest

6. New Hampshire
> WalletHub score: 58.85
> Top metric: ‘Health & Safety’ (#3 best in the nation)
> Families: 346,413 — #40 highest

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7. New Jersey
> WalletHub score: 58.76
> Top metric: ‘Education & Child Care’ (#1 best in the nation)
> Families: 2,241,555 — #11 highest

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8. Washington
> WalletHub score: 58.46
> Top metric: ‘Affordability’ (#4 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,882,896 — #13 highest

9. Connecticut
> WalletHub score: 55.86
> Top metric: ‘Affordability’ (#2 best in the nation)
> Families: 885,911 — #29 highest

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10. Utah
> WalletHub score: 55.48
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#2 best in the nation)
> Families: 760,968 — #31 highest

11. Nebraska
> WalletHub score: 55.47
> Top metric: ‘Health & Safety’ (#9 best in the nation)
> Families: 493,013 — #37 highest

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12. Iowa
> WalletHub score: 55.37
> Top metric: ‘Health & Safety’ (#8 best in the nation)
> Families: 808,802 — #30 highest

ALSO READ: The Least Expensive Countries to Raise a Family

13. South Dakota
> WalletHub score: 55.17
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#7 best in the nation)
> Families: 223,964 — #46 highest

14. Wisconsin
> WalletHub score: 54.44
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#14 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,470,116 — #19 highest

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15. Colorado
> WalletHub score: 53.41
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#7 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,421,844 — #21 highest

16. Illinois
> WalletHub score: 53.13
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#3 best in the nation)
> Families: 3,059,067 — #6 highest

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17. Virginia
> WalletHub score: 51.75
> Top metric: ‘Health & Safety’ (#13 best in the nation)
> Families: 2,094,763 — #12 highest

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18. Maine
> WalletHub score: 51.72
> Top metric: ‘Health & Safety’ (#4 best in the nation)
> Families: 342,894 — #41 highest

19. Montana
> WalletHub score: 51.61
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#6 best in the nation)
> Families: 269,009 — #43 highest

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20. Hawaii
> WalletHub score: 51.37
> Top metric: ‘Health & Safety’ (#2 best in the nation)
> Families: 316,206 — #42 highest

21. Oregon
> WalletHub score: 51.12
> Top metric: ‘Health & Safety’ (#6 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,021,588 — #27 highest

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22. Maryland
> WalletHub score: 50.36
> Top metric: ‘Affordability’ (#12 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,462,070 — #20 highest

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23. Pennsylvania
> WalletHub score: 49.94
> Top metric: ‘Affordability’ (#7 best in the nation)
> Families: 3,228,224 — #5 highest

24. Rhode Island
> WalletHub score: 49.78
> Top metric: ‘Affordability’ (#3 best in the nation)
> Families: 249,987 — #44 highest

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25. California
> WalletHub score: 49.57
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#1 best in the nation)
> Families: 8,972,643 — #1 highest

26. Wyoming
> WalletHub score: 49.08
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#13 best in the nation)
> Families: 152,859 — #50 highest

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27. Missouri
> WalletHub score: 48.86
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#17 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,546,045 — #18 highest

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28. Texas
> WalletHub score: 46.91
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#5 best in the nation)
> Families: 6,857,641 — #2 highest

29. Kansas
> WalletHub score: 46.43
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#11 best in the nation)
> Families: 733,489 — #33 highest

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30. Ohio
> WalletHub score: 45.71
> Top metric: ‘Affordability’ (#13 best in the nation)
> Families: 2,942,581 — #7 highest

31. Michigan
> WalletHub score: 45.23
> Top metric: ‘Affordability’ (#8 best in the nation)
> Families: 2,496,550 — #10 highest

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32. Delaware
> WalletHub score: 45.17
> Top metric: ‘Education & Child Care’ (#20 best in the nation)
> Families: 242,584 — #45 highest

ALSO READ: How Many Children Live in Poverty in Your State?

33. Alaska
> WalletHub score: 44.86
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#17 best in the nation)
> Families: 163,134 — #48 highest

34. Idaho
> WalletHub score: 44.53
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#9 best in the nation)
> Families: 448,979 — #39 highest

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35. Indiana
> WalletHub score: 44.23
> Top metric: ‘Affordability’ (#9 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,639,230 — #17 highest

36. Florida
> WalletHub score: 43.33
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#6 best in the nation)
> Families: 5,083,272 — #3 highest

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37. Kentucky
> WalletHub score: 43.17
> Top metric: ‘Education & Child Care’ (#22 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,129,276 — #25 highest

ALSO READ: The Least Expensive Countries to Raise a Family

38. North Carolina
> WalletHub score: 42.69
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#25 best in the nation)
> Families: 2,630,365 — #8 highest

39. Tennessee
> WalletHub score: 41.05
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#20 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,727,895 — #15 highest

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40. Georgia
> WalletHub score: 39.90
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#26 best in the nation)
> Families: 2,555,440 — #9 highest

41. Nevada
> WalletHub score: 38.52
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#4 best in the nation)
> Families: 723,755 — #34 highest

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42. Arizona
> WalletHub score: 38.22
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#12 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,740,704 — #14 highest

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43. South Carolina
> WalletHub score: 37.97
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#27 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,286,326 — #23 highest

44. Alabama
> WalletHub score: 36.33
> Top metric: ‘Affordability’ (#25 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,237,883 — #24 highest

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45. Arkansas
> WalletHub score: 34.83
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#33 best in the nation)
> Families: 755,305 — #32 highest

46. Oklahoma
> WalletHub score: 34.49
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#37 best in the nation)
> Families: 975,754 — #28 highest

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47. Louisiana
> WalletHub score: 33.83
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#19 best in the nation)
> Families: 1,113,831 — #26 highest

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48. West Virginia
> WalletHub score: 33.83
> Top metric: ‘Socio-economics’ (#29 best in the nation)
> Families: 470,472 — #38 highest

49. Mississippi
> WalletHub score: 29.70
> Top metric: ‘Affordability’ (#35 best in the nation)
> Families: 718,382 — #35 highest

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50. New Mexico
> WalletHub score: 28.95
> Top metric: ‘Family Fun’ (#38 best in the nation)
> Families: 496,961 — #36 highest

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