They say it takes a village to raise a child, much less a family. In today’s modern context, the “village” is often the support network from the local municipality, state, or federal governments and the overall environment. These can include anything from the local school and health care systems, the state of the national, state, and local economies, playgrounds and community centers, and other such factors.
Of course, some states provide better support than others, and in these states it can be easier to raise a family. (Also see: States With The Best And Worst Schools.)
To find the worst states to raise a family, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed credit reporting and advice site WalletHub’s Best & Worst States to Raise a Family. The site compared states across five key dimensions: family fun, health and safety, education and child care, affordability, and socioeconomics with a resulting score out of 100. States are listed here from best to worst. See WalletHub’s methodology here. Data on the total number of families in each state comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey one-year estimates.
Six of the 10 best states to raise a family are in the Northeast, while the four others are in the Midwest. On the other hand, apart from Arizona and New Mexico, which are in the Western region, the other eight of the worst 10 states to raise a family are in the South. (Here is the city in each state with the poorest middle class.)
The worst state overall, Mississippi, ranks worst in socioeconomic factors as well as health and safety. New Mexico, the second worst state overall, ranks worst in education and child care. West Virginia, the third worst state overall, ranks worst in the family fun dimension. When it comes to affordability, Florida ranks worst, though it only ranks 32nd worst overall.
50. Massachusetts
- WalletHub score: 66.14/100
- Top metric: tied: Education & child care, Affordability (2nd best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,724,355 — 17th highest
49. Minnesota
- WalletHub score: 62.07/100
- Top metric: Socioeconomics (5th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,456,312 — 22nd highest
48. New York
- WalletHub score: 61.11/100
- Top metric: Family fun (2nd best of 50 states)
- Families: 4,738,232 — 4th highest
47. North Dakota
- WalletHub score: 59.60/100
- Top metric: tied: Education & child care, Socioeconomics (the best of 50 states)
- Families: 193,761 — 4th lowest
46. Vermont
- WalletHub score: 59.27/100
- Top metric: Health & safety (the best of 50 states)
- Families: 164,496 — 2nd lowest
45. New Hampshire
- WalletHub score: 58.17/100
- Top metric: Health & safety (3rd best of 50 states)
- Families: 358,120 — 10th lowest
44. New Jersey
- WalletHub score: 58.14/100
- Top metric: tied: Education & child care, Affordability (3rd best of 50 states)
- Families: 2,378,459 — 11th highest
43. Nebraska
- WalletHub score: 57.95/100
- Top metric: tied: Education & child care, Socioeconomics (6th best of 50 states)
- Families: 501,595 — 14th lowest
42. Iowa
- WalletHub score: 57.05/100
- Top metric: tied: Education & child care, Affordability (9th best of 50 states)
- Families: 821,960 — 20th lowest
41. Connecticut
- WalletHub score: 57.03/100
- Top metric: Affordability (the best of 50 states)
- Families: 902,539 — 22nd lowest
40. Rhode Island
- WalletHub score: 56.95/100
- Top metric: tied: Health & safety, Affordability (4th best of 50 states)
- Families: 266,935 — 7th lowest
39. Washington
- WalletHub score: 56.30/100
- Top metric: Affordability (5th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,935,445 — 13th highest
38. Illinois
- WalletHub score: 55.49/100
- Top metric: Family fun (4th best of 50 states)
- Families: 3,137,923 — 6th highest
37. South Dakota
- WalletHub score: 55.45/100
- Top metric: Socioeconomics (7th best of 50 states)
- Families: 224,853 — 5th lowest
36. Utah
- WalletHub score: 55.25/100
- Top metric: Socioeconomics (4th best of 50 states)
- Families: 830,599 — 21st lowest
35. Maine
- WalletHub score: 55.01/100
- Top metric: Health & safety (2nd best of 50 states)
- Families: 370,935 — 11th lowest
34. Wisconsin
- WalletHub score: 54.86/100
- Top metric: Socioeconomics (11th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,511,105 — 20th highest
33. Pennsylvania
- WalletHub score: 53.89/100
- Top metric: Family fun (11th best of 50 states)
- Families: 3,294,814 — 5th highest
32. Maryland
- WalletHub score: 53.39/100
- Top metric: Affordability (8th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,546,282 — 19th highest
31. Colorado
- WalletHub score: 53.34/100
- Top metric: Family fun (7th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,464,182 — 21st highest
30. Virginia
- WalletHub score: 52.6/100
- Top metric: Health & safety (15th best of 50 states)
- Families: 2,191,916 — 12th highest
29. California
- WalletHub score: 52.04/100
- Top metric: Family fun (the best of 50 states)
- Families: 9,150,804 — the highest
28. Hawaii
- WalletHub score: 51.36/100
- Top metric: Health & safety (6th best of 50 states)
- Families: 335,052 — 9th lowest
27. Oregon
- WalletHub score: 50.55/100
- Top metric: Family fun (10th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,041,083 — 24th lowest
26. Montana
- WalletHub score: 50.49/100
- Top metric: Socioeconomics (3rd best of 50 states)
- Families: 282,216 — 8th lowest
25. Texas
- WalletHub score: 49.71/100
- Top metric: Family fun (3rd best of 50 states)
- Families: 7,483,376 — 2nd highest
24. Wyoming
- WalletHub score: 49.6/100
- Top metric: Health & safety (11th best of 50 states)
- Families: 153,365 — the lowest
22. Missouri
- WalletHub score: 49.21/100
- Top metric: Socioeconomics (16th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,569,735 — 18th highest
22. Kansas
- WalletHub score: 49.21/100
- Top metric: Socioeconomics (13th best of 50 states)
- Families: 740,407 — 16th lowest
21. Delaware
- WalletHub score: 47.91/100
- Top metric: Affordability (12th best of 50 states)
- Families: 263,885 — 6th lowest
20. Ohio
- WalletHub score: 47.69/100
- Top metric: Affordability (15th best of 50 states)
- Families: 2,983,145 — 7th highest
19. Florida
- WalletHub score: 47.28/100
- Top metric: Family fun (6th best of 50 states)
- Families: 5,684,399 — 3rd highest
18. Tennessee
- WalletHub score: 46.17/100
- Top metric: Family fun (20th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,846,572 — 14th highest
17. Indiana
- WalletHub score: 45.77/100
- Top metric: Socioeconomics (18th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,740,106 — 16th highest
16. Idaho
- WalletHub score: 45.74/100
- Top metric: Socioeconomics (9th best of 50 states)
- Families: 491,073 — 13th lowest
15. Michigan
- WalletHub score: 45.51/100
- Top metric: Affordability (10th best of 50 states)
- Families: 2,548,560 — 10th highest
14. Kentucky
- WalletHub score: 45.40/100
- Top metric: Education & child care (20th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,172,125 — 25th highest
13. Alaska
- WalletHub score: 44.74/100
- Top metric: Family fun (17th best of 50 states)
- Families: 175,789 — 3rd lowest
12. North Carolina
- WalletHub score: 43.11/100
- Top metric: Family fun (24th best of 50 states)
- Families: 2,785,497 — 8th highest
11. Nevada
- WalletHub score: 41.41/100
- Top metric: Family fun (5th best of 50 states)
- Families: 773,666 — 18th lowest
10. Arizona
- WalletHub score: 40.40/100
- Top metric: Family fun (12th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,843,530 — 15th highest
9. Georgia
- WalletHub score: 40.24/100
- Top metric: Family fun (26th best of 50 states)
- Families: 2,733,234 — 9th highest
8. Oklahoma
- WalletHub score: 38.48/100
- Top metric: Affordability (31st best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,017,586 — 23rd lowest
7. Arkansas
- WalletHub score: 38.47/100
- Top metric: Education & child care (28th best of 50 states)
- Families: 777,933 — 19th lowest
6. Alabama
- WalletHub score: 37.38/100
- Top metric: Affordability (29th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,308,988 — 24th highest
5. South Carolina
- WalletHub score: 37.16/100
- Top metric: Affordability (38th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,398,412 — 23rd highest
4. Louisiana
- WalletHub score: 36.8/100
- Top metric: Family fun (14th best of 50 states)
- Families: 1,131,137 — 25th lowest
3. West Virginia
- WalletHub score: 34.86/100
- Top metric: Socioeconomics (30th best of 50 states)
- Families: 463,064 — 12th lowest
2. New Mexico
- WalletHub score: 30.78/100
- Top metric: Family fun (35th best of 50 states)
- Families: 516,464 — 15th lowest
1. Mississippi
- WalletHub score: 30.01/100
- Top metric: Education & child care (34th best of 50 states)
- Families: 754,264 — 17th lowest
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