What’s the Best City to Raise a Family? A New Study Ranks the Top Ten in Healthcare and More

Raising a family is no easy task. Lots of people move to a specific location before having kids, hoping the place will make their lives better or easier. But how can you determine the best city to raise a family? The US has a seemingly endless number to choose from, and it can be difficult to assess which town or city offers the perfect combination of safety, job opportunities, culture, outdoor access, healthcare, and overall quality of life.

A company called Scholaroo decided to make it simple. Scholaroo (whose software helps students find college funding and scholarship opportunities) conducted a comprehensive report to identify the best cities in the United States for a burgeoning family. Based on data from public sources, the study ranked 152 cities in seven categories: Safety, Health, Finance, Education, Recreation, Quality of Life, and Home Atmosphere. Notably, this is the first in-depth study to analyze the healthcare of 152 cities across 32 key metrics, including number of hospitals, number of pediatricians, and number of uninsured residents. 

So, whether you’re looking for somewhere safe and outdoorsy or want an up-and-coming hotspot with expanding employment possibilities, you can use Scholaroo’s data to find your perfect home. To see the complete Best Cities to Raise a Family rankings — including a point breakdown and additional categories of evaluation (like number of violent crimes, recreational areas, air quality, and alcoholism rates) — visit Scholaroo’s site. 

10 Best Cities To Raise a Family in the US (Overall)

First, let’s start with the basics. These are the ten cities that ultimately ranked the highest when Scholaroo combined all seven categories (again, those are Safety, Health, Finance, Education, Recreation, Quality of Life, and Home Atmosphere). See the esteemed top ten cities below.

1. Warwick, RI
2. Charleston, WV
3. Fort Lauderdale, FL
4. Yonkers, NY
5. Burlington, VT
6. Chicago, IL
7. Charleston, SC
8. Virginia Beach, VA
9. Casper, WY
10. Pittsburgh, PA

10 Best Cities for Healthcare

Research says the US has the worst healthcare system among the top 11 high-income countries — so moving somewhere with better healthcare options may be your best bet if you want to be in good medical hands. 

According to Scholaroo’s report, New York is the state with the best healthcare in the country. Two cities, New York City and Yonkers, are ranked #1 and #9 on the list, respectively. See the others on that top ten below.

1. Burlington, VT
2. New York, NY
3. Wilmington, DE
4. Chicago, IL
5. Yonkers, NY
6. Baltimore, MD
7. Kansas City, KS
8. Indianapolis, IN
9. Columbus, GA
10. Charleston, WV

Additional Tidbits of Interest

A few more interesting findings: Warwick, RI has the lowest number of violent crimes in the country according to Scholaroo’s ranking, while Birmingham, AL has the highest. Indianapolis, IN has the most hospitals, and Garland, TX the fewest. Yonkers, NY has the best air quality (surprising, based on its proximity to New York City!) while Nashville, TN has the worst. And Provo, UT has the lowest rate of alcoholism (which makes sense, given that over 90 percent of the population is made up of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints a.k.a. Mormons, who don’t drink) and Bismarck, ND has the highest.