Updated March 20, 2024

10 Best States to Raise A Family 2024

Cost of living, health care, rate of violent crimes and six other factors went into this year's ranking of the 10 best states to raise a family.

Written by Richard Barrington

Financial Expert

Edited by Kristin Marino

Managing Editor

happy family running through field letting kite fly

The decision of where to raise a family is something plenty of parents fret about every year.

This year, the pandemic made it very clear how important location is to a family’s present-day safety and happiness, to their ability to get a quality education, and to the need for broadband that supports job markets
and remote learning.

As a result, families in virtually every state in America reconsidered where they live in 2024.

To help parents make their decisions objectively, MoneyRates examined nine different factors to identify the best states to live in if you’re trying to raise a family. The study revealed not only how the pandemic increased the challenges of raising a family but also that stark regional differences exist.

Current savings account rates

Top Ten States to Raise a Family

New Jersey
(tie) Massachusetts
(tie) Utah
Connecticut
New Hampshire
Wyoming
(tie) Florida
(tie) Wisconsin
Ohio
New York

How Raising a Family Changed Due to COVID-19

Good parenting is a big determinant of children’s success, but these are some of the new considerations parents face because of the pandemic:

With in-person classroom programs being curtailed in many cases, the availability of daycare is even more important than ever.
Quality of healthcare has been severely tested by the pandemic, and it will be tested again by the rollout of vaccinations against the coronavirus.
Neighborhood amenities such as parks and sidewalks give families options for outdoor activities at a time when many formal recreational programs have been suspended.
Broadband connectivity is no longer a luxury. In many parts of the country, it has been essential to allowing schools to continue.

Comparing Conditions for Raising a Family – How Big Are the Differences?

Comparing Conditions for Raising a Family One thing this study highlights is just how large the contrasts between states can be when it comes to conditions for raising children.

It turns out where you live can make a big difference in how much help you get. Here are some examples:

Cost of living: The cost of living in Hawaii is more than twice as high as in 20 other states – an important consideration when it comes to taking on the expense of raising a family.
Academic performance: Average academic performance across three subject areas – math, reading, and science – is about 10% higher in Massachusetts than in Alabama
Student checking accounts: A sampling of 100 banks found Florida and New York each have a dozen choices of banks offering special checking accounts for youngsters, while none were found in Hawaii and there was just one in three other states.
Cost of college: The cost of college is a third as much in Wyoming, which is the best state for college affordability, as it is in Vermont, which has the most expensive average public college tuition.
Crime rates: The violent crime rate in Maine is less than one-seventh that of Alaska and New Mexico.
Daycare options: Relative to the number of children in the state under 10 years old, Delaware has over four times as many daycare workers as Utah.
Overall health: Parents in Vermont are over 10% more likely to report their children being in excellent or very good health than parents in Mississippi.
Quantity/quality of public spaces: Neighborhoods in Colorado are over three times more likely than those in Mississippi to have amenities such as parks, sidewalks, libraries, and recreation centers.
Broadband infrastructure: Households in Utah and Washington State are over 20% more likely to have broadband than those in Mississippi and five other states.

Methodology and Sources

Here is a description of the nine factors that went into determining the best states for raising children:

Academic performance: Test scores in grade 8 math, reading, and science from the National Assessment of Educational Progress were combined for this ranking.
Availability of youth/student checking accounts: These rankings were based on an analysis of the latest MoneyRates Checking Account Fee Survey to find the number of banks in each state offering special checking account terms for children or students.
Overall affordability: This was based on cost-of-living data provided by the Council for Community and Economic Research.
College affordability: The College Board’s 2023-2024 academic year figures for in-state tuition at four-year public colleges were the basis for this ranking.
Crime safety: FBI figures on the rate of violent crimes in each state were used for this assessment.
Access to daycareCensus Bureau data on the number of daycare professionals and the number of children under ten in each state were used to measure how well daycare supply meets potential demand.
Child health: Each state was ranked according to the percentage of children reported to be in excellent or very good health on the latest available survey data compiled by the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) from the Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health.
Kid-friendly neighborhood amenities: This ranking was based on the percentage of neighborhoods in each state reported to the NSCH as having each of four different kid-friendly amenities.
Broadband availability: This was determined by calculating the percentage of households in each state with broadband subscriptions based on Census Bureau data.

Best States to Raise a Family

Best States to Raise a Family 2021 Based on the average of each state’s scores across the nine categories listed above, MoneyRates selected the ten best states for families raising children:

1. New Jersey

Is family-friendly not what comes to mind when you think of New Jersey? Then consider all it has to offer.

New Jersey is deemed the best state to raise a family because it ranked in the top ten for six of nine categories: academic performance, access to youth checking accounts, safety from violent crime, availability of daycare, child health, and access to broadband. It just missed the top ten in the neighborhood amenities category.

The only drawback is the cost of living, as New Jersey was one of the ten most expensive states for overall costs and public college tuition.

State: New Jersey
Overall Rank: 1
Overall Affordability Rank: 42
Academic Performance Rank: 3
Access to Youth Checking Accounts Rank: 4
College Affordability Rank: 46
Safety from Violent Crime Rank: 5
Availability of Daycare Rank: 8
Child Health Rank: 4
Neighborhood Amenities Rank: 11
Broadband Connectivity Rank: 8

2. (tie) Massachusetts

Massachusetts scored the best for academic performance. It also was in the top ten for access to youth checking accounts, availability of daycare, neighborhood amenities, and access to broadband.

As with New Jersey, the one drawback in Massachusetts is that it’s expensive. The state is one of the ten costliest overall for public college tuition.

State: Massachusetts
Overall Rank: 2
Overall Affordability Rank: 46
Academic Performance Rank: 1
Access to Youth Checking Accounts Rank: 3
College Affordability Rank: 42
Safety from Violent Crime Rank: 24
Availability of Daycare Rank: 4
Child Health Rank: 14
Neighborhood Amenities Rank: 6
Broadband Connectivity Rank: 9

2. (tie) Utah

Not only did Utah earn the top score for broadband access, but it also ranked in the top ten for academic performance, college affordability, and neighborhood amenities.

The one knock is that it may be tough to find daycare – Utah ranks dead last in the ratio of daycare workers to children under ten years old in the state.

State: Utah
Overall Rank: 2
Overall Affordability Rank: 24
Academic Performance Rank: 3
Access to Youth Checking Accounts Rank: 33
College Affordability Rank: 3
Safety from Violent Crime Rank: 11
Availability of Daycare Rank: 50
Child Health Rank: 22
Neighborhood Amenities Rank: 2
Broadband Connectivity Rank: 1

4. Connecticut

Like neighboring Massachusetts, Connecticut is an expensive place to live – but it has several attributes that make it worthwhile.

Connecticut ranked in the top ten for academic performance, access to youth checking, safety from violent crime, and availability of daycare.

State: Connecticut
Overall Rank: 4
Overall Affordability Rank: 43
Academic Performance Rank: 9
Access to Youth Checking Accounts Rank: 10
College Affordability Rank: 45
Safety from Violent Crime Rank: 3
Availability of Daycare Rank: 5
Child Health Rank: 15
Neighborhood Amenities Rank: 14
Broadband Connectivity Rank: 12

5. New Hampshire

A third New England state made the top five states to raise a family with New Hampshire’s fifth-place ranking. New Hampshire was the second-best state in the nation for both academic performance and safety from violent crime.

It also made the top ten for the availability of daycare and broadband connectivity. On the downside, it is the second-most expensive state for public college tuition.

State: New Hampshire
Overall Rank: 5
Overall Affordability Rank: 37
Academic Performance Rank: 2
Access to Youth Checking Accounts Rank: 25
College Affordability Rank: 49
Safety from Violent Crime Rank: 2
Availability of Daycare Rank: 3
Child Health Rank: 18
Neighborhood Amenities Rank: 18
Broadband Connectivity Rank: 4

6. Wyoming

If you’re thinking ahead to sending your kids to college, Wyoming is appealing for a very practical reason: it has the nation’s lowest four-year public college tuition for in-state students. It also ranked in the top ten for academic performance and safety from violent crime.

State: Wyoming
Overall Rank: 6
Overall Affordability Rank: 31
Academic Performance Rank: 9
Access to Youth Checking Accounts Rank: 39
College Affordability Rank: 1
Safety from Violent Crime Rank: 8
Availability of Daycare Rank: 24
Child Health Rank: 24
Neighborhood Amenities Rank: 12
Broadband Connectivity Rank: 17

7. (tie) Florida

Though the Sunshine State is often associated with retirees, it also has a lot to offer people raising a family. Florida is tied with New York for having the most banks offering youth checking account and ranked second for affordability of college.

State: Florida
Overall Rank: 7
Overall Affordability Rank: 26
Academic Performance Rank: 32
Access to Youth Checking Accounts Rank: 1
College Affordability Rank: 2
Safety from Violent Crime Rank: 29
Availability of Daycare Rank: 21
Child Health Rank: 10
Neighborhood Amenities Rank: 27
Broadband Connectivity Rank: 23

7. (tie) Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a top-ten state for both academic performance and child health. It was near or above median in all nine categories, so there were no glaring negatives as a place to raise children.

State: Wisconsin
Overall Rank: 7
Overall Affordability Rank: 22
Academic Performance Rank: 7
Access to Youth Checking Accounts Rank: 25
College Affordability Rank: 18
Safety from Violent Crime Rank: 18
Availability of Daycare Rank: 16
Child Health Rank: 9
Neighborhood Amenities Rank: 29
Broadband Connectivity Rank: 27

9. Ohio

While a fourth-place finish for access to youth checking accounts was the only top-ten ranking for Ohio, it narrowly missed the top ten for academic performance.

State: Ohio
Overall Rank: 9
Overall Affordability Rank: 16
Academic Performance Rank: 11
Access to Youth Checking Accounts Rank: 4
College Affordability Rank: 35
Safety from Violent Crime Rank: 18
Availability of Daycare Rank: 29
Child Health Rank: 19
Neighborhood Amenities Rank: 17
Broadband Connectivity Rank: 25

10. New York

A number-one ranking (tied with Florida) for access to youth checking accounts was New York’s best category performance, and it also ranked in the top ten for college affordability, availability of daycare and neighborhood amenities. Not surprisingly though, New York is also one of the most expensive states for overall costs of living.

State: New York
Overall Rank: 10
Overall Affordability Rank: 48
Academic Performance Rank: 34
Access to Youth Checking Accounts Rank: 1
College Affordability Rank: 9
Safety from Violent Crime Rank: 26
Availability of Daycare Rank: 6
Child Health Rank: 21
Neighborhood Amenities Rank: 9
Broadband Connectivity Rank: 21

Best States for Families – Complete List

The table below shows how all 50 states ranked in each of the above categories.

State	Overall Affordability Rank	Academic Performance Rank	Access to Youth Checking Accounts Rank	College Affordability Rank	Safety from Violent Crime Rank	Availability of Daycare Rank	Child Health Rank	Neighborhood Amenities Rank	Broadband Connectivity Rank	Overall Rank
Alabama	9	50	25	33	44	45	48	46	45	50
Alaska	45	44	47	11	50	40	6	44	11	47
Arizona	27	37	33	37	41	48	35	20	14	43
Arkansas	2	42	25	15	47	17	40	41	48	40
California	49	45	10	25	39	47	32	4	5	36
Colorado	33	20	20	34	30	30	10	1	3	13
Connecticut	43	9	10	45	3	5	15	14	12	4
Delaware	35	38	20	40	36	1	30	39	6	32
Florida	26	32	1	2	29	21	10	27	23	7
Georgia	8	33	10	13	25	20	39	37	32	25
Hawaii	50	47	50	31	17	46	5	5	17	38
Idaho	19	8	33	6	10	42	8	38	14	11
Illinois	20	27	4	47	33	28	35	3	24	27
Indiana	11	18	4	23	27	35	29	32	37	24
Iowa	14	21	33	21	13	23	45	22	33	28
Kansas	6	24	25	20	34	43	2	32	28	22
Kentucky	18	27	10	32	7	37	34	47	42	35
Louisiana	17	41	39	24	46	38	43	42	47	49
Maine	40	19	39	29	1	10	6	30	31	19
Maryland	44	26	16	26	40	18	15	10	7	18
Massachusetts	46	1	3	42	24	4	14	6	9	2
Michigan	10	27	16	44	38	44	47	27	29	41
Minnesota	30	6	33	38	12	27	23	8	13	16
Mississippi	1	48	39	12	14	31	50	50	50	44
Missouri	5	21	20	19	43	25	42	35	36	33
Montana	34	11	47	5	32	14	15	36	33	29
Nebraska	13	15	39	16	21	7	27	24	17	12
Nevada	36	42	33	8	42	49	27	13	16	37
New Hampshire	37	2	25	49	2	3	18	18	4	5
New Jersey	42	3	4	46	5	8	4	11	8	1
New Mexico	4	49	39	7	49	33	44	31	48	48
New York	48	34	1	9	26	6	21	9	21	10
North Carolina	21	31	4	4	28	15	37	40	35	23
North Dakota	25	11	47	22	16	9	19	25	44	26
Ohio	16	11	4	35	18	29	19	17	25	9
Oklahoma	3	40	39	14	37	36	37	48	41	44
Oregon	47	24	25	36	15	22	31	21	9	30
Pennsylvania	32	23	16	48	22	11	26	23	29	30
Rhode Island	41	36	20	41	9	12	3	7	21	16
South Carolina	23	38	10	39	45	39	10	49	43	46
South Dakota	28	11	39	17	31	13	13	16	39	20
Tennessee	7	27	10	27	48	41	48	43	39	42
Texas	15	34	4	30	35	34	40	32	25	34
Utah	24	3	33	3	11	50	22	2	1	2
Vermont	39	3	25	50	4	2	1	26	38	15
Virginia	29	15	16	43	6	19	46	19	20	21
Washington	38	15	20	28	20	26	24	15	1	14
West Virginia	12	45	25	10	26	32	33	45	46	39
Wisconsin	22	7	25	18	18	16	9	29	27	7
Wyoming	31	9	39	1	8	24	24	12	17	6

About Author

Richard Barrington

Richard Barrington, a Senior Financial Analyst at MoneyRates, brings over three decades of financial services expertise to the table. His insightful analyses and commentary have made him a sought-after voice in media, with appearances on Fox Business News, NPR, and quotes in major publications like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. His proficiency is further solidified by the prestigious Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, highlighting Richard’s depth of knowledge and commitment to financial excellence.

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