WalletHub is back for another year of best of/worst of lists. First up is the Best & Worst States to Raise a Family in 2025.
For this list, the WalletHub team number crunched 50 key indicators of family-friendliness across the 50 states (sorry, District of Columbia), with data focusing on such issues as median annual family income, housing affordability, health care quality, crime rate, and school quality.
Massachusetts topped the new list, with the Bay State earning praise for the having the nation’s best job security, best water quality in the country, the highest rate of children with health insurance, and the lowest infant mortality rate. And while it ranked high for housing and childcare costs when compared to the other states, it also had the nation’s 10th lowest poverty rate.
Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska and New Hampshire rounded out the top five. At the other end of the spectrum, the Land of Enchantment failed to enchant the WalletHub analysts as New Mexico ranked last among the 50 states for raising a family – the state had the highest separation and divorce rate and the highest number of violent crimes per capita, the second highest child care costs and third highest percentage of children living in poverty.
“Raising a family has become significantly more expensive in recent years as the cost of living has risen quickly,” said Chip Lupo, analyst at WalletHub. “In fact, it can cost a family well over $300,000 to raise a child to age 18, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In light of the expensive nature of being a parent and the responsibility it entails, it’s important to live in a city that is affordable while still providing quality health care, education, safety and opportunities for enrichment.”
