The best states to raise a family

The 10 best states to raise a family

Our list of the 10 best states to raise a family in might sound a little bit like a road trip around the Northeast, with a few stops in other American regions. Below, you’ll find the three states with the lowest food costs, three that rank highest for education and four that offer a child tax credit. Which is which? Keep reading to find out.

1. New Hampshire

The Granite State might not be the most exciting nickname, but New Hampshire has a lot more to offer than a slab of rock. New Hampshire ranked fourth in our list from 2024 but overtook Pennsylvania, Maine and Vermont this year to claim the top spot. 

New Hampshire boasts a low rate of violent crime (1.1 crimes per 1,000 people), a low rate of childhood poverty (7%), low food costs (an average of $371 per week) and a whole lot of state parks and libraries (6.6 and 15.6 per 100,000 people, respectively). All of this made it 2025’s top state to raise a family in.

2. Maine

Despite everything Stephen King has done to create its reputation as a state where killer clowns roam free and deceased pets come back to life, Maine ranks pretty high when it comes to raising a family. (King writes fiction, after all.)

Maine ranks No. 1 in several of the metrics we analyzed. It has a child tax credit, the lowest rate of children in poverty (5%) and the lowest violent crime rate, with only one crime per 1,000 people. Overall, the state ranks No. 1 in quality of life and No. 2 in safety. Take that, Pennywise! Ready to move to Maine yet?

3. Wisconsin

Wisconsin isn’t only the top U.S. state for cheese production. The state rose three spots in 2025’s rankings for best states to raise a family. It stands out for low food costs: Wisconsin families spend an average of $352 on food each week, the lowest in our survey. Maybe it’s all that homegrown cheese?

Wisconsin also ranks well for low property crime (12.2 crimes per 1,000 people) and percentage of children in poverty (7%), and it has strong public education.

4. Vermont

Vermont actually dropped three places from 2024 to 2025 in our rankings for best states to raise a family. But it still finishes No. 2 for quality of life. Vermont has the highest number of libraries in the nation, with 25 per 100,000 residents. It also has the second-highest number of state and national parks (8.5 per 100,000).

The Green Mountain State also ranks high in health care. It has the second-lowest percentage of uninsured children (2.6%) and the lowest percentage of children who did not get preventive care in the past year (20.7%).

5. New York

The Empire State is expensive. New York families spend an average of $472 per week on food, putting the state at No. 39 out of 50 for food costs. So how does it rank No. 5 overall on our list? To start, there’s the Empire State child tax credit, which is 33% of the federal credit or $100 per child, depending on how you file.

New York also ranks No. 1 in public education, including having the highest expenditure per student and highly educated teachers, and No. 5 in health care, with the fourth-highest number of pediatricians per 100,000 children.

6. Connecticut

Connecticut’s ranking changed dramatically from 2024 to 2025, rocketing from 25 to six. Last year it wasn’t even in the top 10 — so what changed?

Strong placings in health care (sixth) and education (second) give Connecticut a boost this year. The state has the third-lowest percentage of children who did not get preventive care last year (23.1%) and a high number of pediatricians on a per-child basis. Academic performance and school funding are both third best in the country.

7. Wyoming

Wyoming is the only state in the West to end up in the top 10. The Equality State ranks seventh in quality of life, with the second-lowest percentage of children in poverty (6%), and ninth in the number of state and national parks per capita (2.4 per 100,000 people). The great outdoors features strong air quality: 83% of days have good air quality, sixth highest on our list.

Wyoming also ranks seventh in safety, with the sixth-lowest violent crime rate and the ninth-lowest property crime rate.

8. Virginia

Need to make space for your growing family in a bigger home or apartment? Moving to Virginia might be worth considering. The state ranks second for low additional rent costs, with the difference in cost between a one- and two-bedroom only coming in at about $35 monthly.

Virginia also ranks high for public education (seventh) and percentage of good air quality days (85%, fourth). It does come up short on parks to enjoy all that fresh air in, though, with only 0.5 national and state parks per 100,000 people, which is 43rd highest.

9. Massachusetts

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Does that apply to the 221 pediatricians per 100,000 children who serve Massachusetts’ families? This Northeastern state ranks No. 1 for health care, with the nation’s third-lowest infant mortality rate (3.28 per 1,000 live births) and seventh-lowest percentage of children not receiving preventive medical or dental care (26.5%). Low property crime (11 crimes per 1,000 people) and strong public education (No. 3 on our list) also make Massachusetts a great choice for families looking to move to a new state. 

On the flip side, Massachusetts ranks dead last for child care costs, with full-time child care centers charging an average of $23,775 annually.

10. Pennsylvania

Even though Pennsylvania dropped from third place last year, it remains a strong contender for families in 2025. It particularly shines in the health care category, ranking 12th overall. Here’s the breakdown: Pennsylvania has 147.4 pediatricians per 100,000 children, the sixth-lowest percentage of children not receiving preventive care (25.9%) and the 10th-lowest percentage of families who struggle to pay for their children’s medical bills (8.1%).

The state also stands out for its low violent crime (2.7 crimes per 1,000 people) and strong public education (10th).

Which states rank poorly for raising a family?

All 10 of the lowest-ranking states are in the West or South — a continuation of last year’s trend, when all ten of the worst-ranked states came from these regions.

Changes from year to year remind us that these rankings aren’t set in stone. Connecticut rose 19 spots from last year, while Oregon dropped 18. We have our eye on New Mexico to potentially rise in the affordability ranks in future reports. On Nov. 1, 2025, it will become the first state with no-cost universal child care, which the state believes will save families an annual average of $12,000 per child.

The states below are ranked in the bottom 10 based on costs, safety, public education, health care and quality of life:

1. Nevada
2. Alaska
3. New Mexico
4. Louisiana
5. Arizona
6. Arkansas
7. California
8. Texas
9. Colorado
10. Oklahoma

How does your state rank for raising a family?

We evaluated all 50 states based on five categories: affordability, safety, education, health care and quality of life. But even the experts can’t take into account what makes home home: proximity to family, career or even your favorite sports team. Take a look at the full data below to find out where your home state ranks — and which points are most important to you.

How to pick the best place to live with your family

How should you choose the best place to live with your family? Read on for our tips.

• Check long-term livability, not just short-term appeal. Think beyond what feels exciting or convenient right now. Check into future development plans, tax trends, local job growth and other factors that matter to your family long-term. Thinking about the big picture first can save you the hassle of moving to another state later.
• Get playful. One recent study found that kids living near parks with playgrounds had better mental health than those near parks without them, showing that the details matter when it comes to childhood environment. Community programs and recreation centers can also offer activities to round out your family’s after-school schedule.
• Take education into account. Even if your kids may not be school-age yet, it’s not too early to start thinking about their ABCs. The quality of schooling your child gets can shape their future. Living in a reputable school district can also protect your investment in a new home: Homes in strong school districts tend to hold value better during rocky markets.
• Look into state-specific policies. Many of the states that rank highest on our list have policies designed to benefit families, including child tax credits that offer parents a break come tax season.

Methodology

The ConsumerAffairs Research Team identified the best states to raise a family in by comparing all 50 U.S. states across five weighted categories worth a total of 100 points.

• Affordability (30 points): The affordability score considers the average cost of full-time, center-based child care for an infant, toddler and 4-year-old (10 points); the average weekly amount spent on food prepared and eaten at home and food prepared elsewhere for households with children under 18 (9 points); the monthly difference in median rental costs of a one-bedroom and two-bedroom home (9 points); and whether the state offers a child or dependent tax credit (2 points).
  • Data is from Child Care Aware (2024), the U.S. Census Bureau (2023 and 2024) and NCSL (2025).
• Safety (25 points): The safety score consists of each state’s violent crime rate and property crime rate per 1,000 residents (12.5 points each).
  • Data is from NeighborhoodScout (2024).
• Education (20 points): The education score is based on results from ConsumerAffairs’ study on the best states for public education, which looked at data in four categories: K-12 performance, school funding and resources, higher education quality and school safety.
• Health care (15 points): The health care score factors in the number of pediatricians per 100,000 children up to 21 (4 points); the infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (2.75 points); the percentage of uninsured children (2.75 points); the percentage of children who did not receive preventive medical or dental care in the past year (2.75  points); and the percentage of families who had issues paying for children’s medical bills (2.75 points).
  • Data is from America’s Health Rankings (2023), CDC (2025) and NSCH (2023).
• Quality of life (10 points): The quality of life score is made up of the child poverty rate (4 points), the number of national and state parks per 100,000 people (2 points), the number of libraries per 100,000 people (2 points) and the average percentage of good air quality days from 2019 to 2024 (2 points). Data is from the Annie E. Casey Foundation (2022 to 2024), National Park Trips (2021), the National Association of State Park Directors (2025), the National Center for Education Statistics (2019) and the Environmental Protection Agency (2019-2024).

In each category, the state that performed the best received the highest possible score, with all other states scored relative to that benchmark. We added the category scores to calculate each state’s overall score out of 100.

Reference policy

We love it when people share our findings! If you do, please link back to our original article to credit our research.

Questions?

For questions about the data or if you'd like to set up an interview, please contact rsowell@consumeraffairs.com.