Top 10 Cities for Raising Children

What do you look for when raising a family? A 2014 study based on data from Census Bureau, Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness, National Association of Home Builders, FBI, and Greatschools.org., looked at the following criteria:

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• Median income
• Overall cost of living,
• Housing affordability (what pct. of the market is affordable to a family at the median income)
• Commuting delays
• Percentage of families owning home
• Crime rate
• Education quality (mainly test scores)

Grand Rapids, Michigan came in at number one. Cost of living is ranked number 6 nationally, it’s number 7 in the nation for affordable housing, 75 percent of the population own their homes, it’s number 27 for crime, and number 35 for education.

Boise, Idaho comes in at number two. Cost of living is ranked number 44 nationally, it’s number 34 in the nation for affordable housing, 69 percent of the population own their homes, it’s number 5 for crime, and number 1 for education.

Provo, Utah is number three. Cost of living is ranked number 10 nationally, it’s number 54 in the nation for affordable housing, 65 percent of the population own their homes, it’s number 1 for crime, and number 11 for education.

Youngstown, Ohio is number four. Cost of living is ranked number 18 nationally, it’s number 1 in the nation for affordable housing, 73 percent of the population own their homes, it’s number 31 for crime, and number 21 for education.

Raleigh, North Carolinais number five. Cost of living is ranked number 32 nationally, it’s number 52 in the nation for affordable housing, 69 percent of the population own their homes, it’s number 12 for crime, and number 4 for education.

Poughkeepsie, New York is number six. Cost of living is ranked number 86 nationally, it’s number 67 in the nation for affordable housing, 72 percent of the population own their homes, it’s number 3 for crime, and number 34 for education.

Omaha, Nebraska is number seven. Cost of living is ranked number 34 nationally, it’s number 24 in the nation for affordable housing, 71 percent of the population own their homes, it’s number 43 for crime, and number 56 for education.

Ogden, Utah is number eight. Cost of living is ranked number 20 nationally, it’s number 20 in the nation for affordable housing, 55 percent of the population own their homes, it’s number 4 for crime, and number 67 for education.

Cincinnati, Ohio is number nine. Cost of living is ranked number 24 nationally, it’s number 13 in the nation for affordable housing, 64 percent of the population own their homes, it’s number 30 for crime, and number 8 for education.

Worcester, Massachusetts rounds out the top ten. Cost of living is ranked number 71 nationally, it’s number 23 in the nation for affordable housing, 70 percent of the population own their homes, it’s number 17 for crime, and number 62 for education.

Of course, you can weigh each of the criteria differently to come up with a different ranking for each city. But any way you figure it, these are the best cities in the country for family life.

 

Author bio: Brian Kline has been investing in real estate for more than 30 years and writing about real estate investing for seven years. He also draws upon 25 plus years of business experience including 12 years as a manager at Boeing Aircraft Company. Brian currently lives at Lake Cushman, Washington. A vacation destination, a few short miles from a national forest in the Olympic Mountains with the Pacific Ocean a couple of miles in the opposite direction.