As everyone looks toward a more calming environment and a hopeful slowing down of pandemic difficulties, families will be eager to relocate. But where are the better states to settle down in? WalletHub, the personal-finance website, released its 2021’ Best and Worst States to Raise a Family report.
To determine the best states in which to put down family roots, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 52 key indicators of family-friendliness. The data set ranges from the median annual family income to housing affordability and unemployment rates.
The top 10 states to move to, according to the study, are Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Washington, Connecticut, and Utah.
The worst states for families to lay down roots were, according to the study, Nevada, Arizona, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, West Virginia, Mississippi, and New Mexico.
The best versus worst facts were:
- Minnesota has the highest median annual family income (adjusted for cost of living), $85,473, which is 1.5 times higher than in New York, where it is lowest at $57,450.
- Utah has the lowest separation and divorce rate, 15.74 percent, which is 1.7 times lower than in Nevada, where it is highest at 26.07 percent.
- New Hampshire has the lowest share of families living in poverty, 4.60 percent, which is 3.4 times lower than in Mississippi, where it is highest at 15.50 percent.
- South Dakota has the lowest average annual cost of early childcare (as a share of median family income), 7.22 percent, which is 1.8 times lower than in Nebraska, where it is highest at 13.19 percent.
- Maine has the fewest violent crimes (per 1,000 residents), 1.15, which is 7.5 times fewer than in Alaska, the state with the most at 8.67.