Do You Live in One of the Most Family-Friendly States? Let’s Find Out.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that family formation is in crisis in the United States, and much of the Western world.

Here’s just a glimpse of the evidence:

The U.S. birth rate has fallen by 20% since just 2007, with the average woman giving birth to 1.64 children.
The share of adults ages 25 to 54 who have never been married has grown from 17% to 33% since 1990.
The real median household income has barely budged in two decades.
The wealth of American families is less than it was prior to the 2008 recession.
Around 40% of all births in the U.S. occur outside of marriage, up from 28% in 1990.
The highest earning 20% of families earn over half of all U.S. income, whereas the bottom 20% earn around 5% of all income.

It’s not an understatement to say that family formation and family wellbeing are in freefall in the United States, and still declining.

So, is there anything that young adults or newly married individuals could do to make family formation just a little bit easier? (Outside of moving to Hungary).

One option is to move within the United States to a different city or state and relocate to a place where it’s easier to have a family. According to recent statistic, around 8.0% of Americans relocate every year, or around 26.5 million individuals. Some of the top reasons that Americans have for moving include a desire for a lower cost of living, new job opportunities, better schools, and moving closer to family.

But what are the best, most “family friendly” states to relocate to?

To answer that question, the Daily Citizen analyzed five key metrics that indicate which states may be the best places to live and raise a family in. These metrics include:

Median household income
Education
Affordable Housing
Number of Families with Children
Violent Crime Rates

Of course, these results could change over time, and the metrics could vary from city to city within each state.

Median Household Income

The top five states by median household income include:

Washington, D.C. ($92,266)
Maryland ($86,738)
Massachusetts ($85,843)
New Jersey ($85,751)
Hawaii ($83,102)

Obviously, Washington, D.C. is not a state. However, it deserves consideration since the U.S. Census Bureau includes it along with the 50 states when reporting median income. In our nation’s capital, the median household income is $92,266 as of 2019. Ironically, Washington, D.C., also has one of the highest poverty rates in the country.

Though median income is important, it’s certainly not determinative of which state is the most family friendly. Income isn’t everything, since frequently, individuals and families sacrifice the quality of their family life in exchange for more income, and vice versa.

Education

The top five states for pre-K through 12th grade education include:

New Jersey
Massachusetts
Connecticut
New Hampshire
Vermont

This ranking comes from U.S. News and World Report, and was based on college readiness, high school graduation rate, math and reading scores and preschool enrollment rates. The two states with the worst education rankings include New Mexico and Alaska.

Affordable Housing

Affordable housing, or a lack of it, has a great impact on delayed family formation. Since the 1970s, housing has become increasingly unaffordable, especially for first time homebuyers. And so-called starter homes – those houses that are smaller with less expensive furnishings – have all but disappeared.

The onset of COVID-19, the Federal Reserve’s easy money policies, and increasing demand for housing caused the price of the average home to increase by double digits in 2020 and 2021; The national median home list price hit $425,000 in April 2022. But can any states serve as a safe haven with more affordable housing?

According to Realtor.com, the top five states with the cheapest housing markets are as follows:

West Virginia ($199,000)
Ohio ($215,000)
Arkansas ($245,000)
Kansas ($248,500)
Oklahoma ($250,000)

These totals are based on the median list price. Though with interest rates on the rise, even housing in these “cheaper” states is increasingly unaffordable.

Number of Families with Children

In which states do families have the most children? Let’s find out. The following five states have the largest household size, based on average people per household.

Utah (3.09 people per household)
California (2.94)
Hawaii (2.94)
Texas (2.83)
Alaska (2.78)

Violent Crime Rates

With violent crime up in many cities across the United States, families may be particularly concerned about what states have the lowest crime rates.

Consumer Affairs ranked the safest states per capita according to four types of violent crime (murder and manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault), three types of nonviolent crime (burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft) and the number of law enforcement officers per capita.

According to this ranking, the safest states are as follows:

New Jersey
New Hampshire
Maine
Massachusetts
Vermont

Winning States

The Daily Citizen’s top family friendly states – appearing at least twice in our five categories – are as follows:

New Jersey
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Vermont

Naturally, our list above is not exhaustive, nor is it a complete reflection of everything going on in each state.

Have you ever considered moving to a different state to help raise your family, and was it a “winning” state in our list?

Is there a family friendly state that you think deserved to make the list that wasn’t included above?

Related articles:

After ‘Dobbs,’ Pro-Family Economic Policies Can Incentivize Marriage and Family Formation

Photo from Shutterstock.

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