With nearly 32% of people who moved last year citing being closer to family as the main reason, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Best & Worst Places to Raise a Family, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary.
To determine the most family-friendly places in America, WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 46 key metrics. The data set ranges from housing affordability to school-system quality to the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated.
| Best Cities for Families | Worst Cities for Families |
| 1. Fremont, CA | 173. Augusta, GA |
| 2. Overland Park, KS | 174. Jackson, MS |
| 3. Irvine, CA | 175. Shreveport, LA |
| 4. Plano, TX | 176. Fayetteville, NC |
| 5. Columbia, MD | 177. Newark, NJ |
| 6. San Diego, CA | 178. San Bernardino, CA |
| 7. Seattle, WA | 179. Birmingham, AL |
| 8. San Jose, CA | 180. Memphis, TN |
| 9. Madison, WI | 181. Cleveland, OH |
| 10. Scottsdale, AZ | 182. Detroit, MI |
Best vs. Worst
- New York has the most playgrounds (per square root of the population), 0.666034, which is 13.4 times more than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the fewest at 0.049627.
- Irvine, California, has the fewest violent crimes (per 1,000 residents), 0.51, which is 46.1 times fewer than in Memphis, Tennessee, the city with the most at 23.52.
- Columbia, Maryland, has the highest median family annual income (adjusted for cost of living), $123,819, which is 3.4 times higher than in Newark, New Jersey, the city with the lowest at $36,758.
- Overland Park, Kansas, has the lowest share of families receiving food stamps, 2.03 percent, which is 20.6 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 41.73 percent.
- South Burlington, Vermont, has the lowest share of families living in poverty, 2.50 percent, which is eleven times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 27.60 percent.
