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There are pros and cons to living almost anywhere. But deciding where to raise your family feels like an especially heavy decision, with so many factors at play, from housing affordability to education.

To help parents with this all-important choice, personal finance site WalletHub has come out with a report on the Best & Worst States to Raise a Family in 2025. Experts looked at 50 key indicators of family-friendliness to determine how each state ranks, such as health care quality and crime rates.

Here are the top and bottom ten states to raise a family, according to WalletHub’s research.

The Best States To Raise a Family

• 1. Massachusetts
• 2. Minnesota
• 3. North Dakota
• 4. Nebraska
• 5. New Hampshire

• 6. New York
• 7. Illinois
• 8. Wisconsin
• 9. Maine
• 10. Connecticut

Virginia pops onto the list with the highest median family income. Iowa has the most affordable housing. Vermont ranks highest for health and safety while California takes the top spot for family fun.

The Worst States To Raise a Family

• 41. Arizona
• 42. South Carolina
• 43. Louisiana
• 44. Arkansas
• 45. Alabama
• 46. Oklahoma
• 47. Nevada
• 48. West Virginia 
• 49. Mississippi
• 50. New Mexico

Nevada ranks the lowest in terms of affordability. West Virginia is at the bottom when it comes to family fun. Mississippi is the lowest for health and safety.

How the States Were Ranked

So, why did Massachusetts top the list, if parents have to invest time in dressing littles for cold weather for months out of the year, mittens, coats, and all? (Sorry, Floridian here!)

According to the report, The Bay State boasts the highest job security in the country, as well as the lowest poverty rates, with incomes that can support the expense of raising kids. Access to health insurance and a solid education system are other factors that put the home of Mark Wahlberg at the top.

As for states at the bottom, per WalletHub, New Mexico has the highest divorce rate in the U.S., the lowest median family income, and a concerning crime rate.

Other factors that led to certain states being ranked high, while others sank to the bottom, are rankings in family fun, and health and safety, as well as the cost of childcare.

What Parents Should Take Away From the Report

Obviously, we won’t all be packing up our families to move even if our state isn’t high on this list. But as WalletHub writer and analyst Chip Lupo tells Parents, “While relocating to a top-ranked state might not be feasible for everyone, understanding the factors that contribute to family-friendliness can help guide decisions in your current location.”

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