How Pennsylvania Ranked in the List of Best States for Raising a Family

Pennsylvania: A Top State for Families

According to a recent ranking that considers factors like housing affordability, job opportunities, education standards, and health care accessibility, Pennsylvania is one of the best states to raise a family.

Pennsylvania’s Position in the Rankings

The Keystone State has achieved an impressive 21st place in this comprehensive analysis by WalletHub, a personal finance company. The ranking utilized data from numerous federal agencies, foundations, and other sources to compare all 50 states across five essential areas.

The ideal state for families, according to WalletHub, is one that is economically manageable during times of high inflation while also providing high levels of safety, good job opportunities, superior education, and enjoyable entertainment.

The Scoring Framework

WalletHub’s analysis assigned 20 points to each of the five categories. However, scores were weighted in areas where states excelled in providing family-friendly services.

Here’s a breakdown of how Pennsylvania, which secured a total score of 53.62 points, performed in each category:

Family Fun: 12 points;
Health & Safety: 23 points;
Education & Child Care: 26 points;
Affordability: 21 points;
Socio-economics: 23 points.

The top five states for families, according to the analysis, are Massachusetts, North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and New York.

Performance of States in Various Categories

Here’s how states performed in various categories:

States with the highest median family income: Virginia, Minnesota, Illinois, New Jersey, and Colorado.

States offering the most-affordable housing: Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Kansas, and Ohio.

States with the lowest child care costs: South Dakota, Missouri, Mississippi, Utah, and Minnesota.

Best states for families with young kids: Utah, Texas, Alaska, Nebraska, and North Dakota.

States with the lowest infant mortality rate: North Dakota, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Oregon.

States with the fewest violent crimes per capita: Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Wyoming.

States with the lowest percentages of people living in poverty: New Hampshire, Minnesota, Utah, Vermont, and Colorado.

Family Stability Across States

States with the lowest separation and divorce rates include Utah, North Dakota, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Nebraska.