Photo: Getty Images
When it comes to deciding where you want to raise a family and build a life, some areas of the country may be better suited for the job, whether it's because of quiet suburban home surrounded by neighbors or access to schools with quality education.
WalletHub compared nearly 200 cities around the country to find which are the best and worst for raising a family, acknowledging, "While obviously not perfect — given personal preference and the limitations of publicly available data — our findings will hopefully give movers a sense of their options."
Two South Carolina cities found a spot on the list:
- No. 34: Charleston
- No. 156: Columbia
Charleston ranked high on the list thanks to good marks in both family fun and affordability as well as tying first in the highest median family salary adjusted for cost of living. Though Columbia may have received lower marks across most categories, it did rank high for family fun.
These are the 10 best places to raise a family in America:
- Fremont, California
- Overland Park, Kansas
- Irvine, California
- Plano, Texas
- South Burlington, Vermont
- San Diego, California
- San Jose, California
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Gilbert, Arizona
- San Fransisco, California
To determine the list, WalletHub analyzed 182 U.S. cities using five factors: family fun, health & safety, education & child care, affordability and socio-economics. These factors were then evaluated using 45 relevant metrics, including playgrounds per capital, walkability, ideal weather, average commute time, pediatricians per capita, violent-crime rate per capita, school-system quality, child-care costs, cost of living, housing affordability, unemployment rate, wealth gap and many more.
Check out WalletHub's full report to learn more about the best places in the country to raise a family.