10 Best States To Raise A Family In The United States [2025]

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In today’s America, people don’t stay in one place for too long.

With the economy doing so well lately, it seems Americans are moving more now than ever. Sometimes, it’s for retirement or to transfer jobs.

Where’s the best state in the United States to raise a family?

For the most part, we all want the same thing when we look for a place to move with the kids. These are the states that have good jobs for parents, and they’re safe, too. We also took into account several kid-friendly factors like school quality.

The states we’re going to talk about are the places where kids will have the best potential to thrive and where families will be most comfortable.

Does it matter where you raise your kids? You bet.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 10 Best States To Raise A Family In The United States For 2025

Now that we have a top ten, what’s the best state to raise a family overall? Maine ranks as the best state to raise a family based on data around affordability, things to do, and safety. The general assumption is that a great place for families would be safe, offer plenty of great schools, and have a lot of room for growth. We took that all into account and made some other assumptions as well.

So pack the toys, the Xboxes, and your old high school yearbooks up as we take you through America’s best states to raise kids. For exactly how we calculated these rankings, read on. Or, if the state where you live is just peachy keen, and you’re not moving an inch, check out:

The 10 Best States For Families In America For 2025

1. Maine

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 1,377,400
Home Price: $266,400
Average Income: $71,773
Crime Rate: 0.01239
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 852
Households with kids: 24.0%
More On Maine: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

We unpack our things in Maine, where it smells of pine needles. Why Maine, you say? After all, isn’t in the 4th most boring state in America? Yes, it is. Isn’t it fairly expensive you say? Not really, it’s about average.

What really makes Maine a great place to raise a family are the non-exciting things that a responsible parent pays attention to. There are hardly any violent crimes way up here, which makes sense – much of the chaos is way down the coast. Families have great health coverage in Maine, and life expectancy is really high. Air pollution is really low, and and water quality’s great. And schools are some of the most consistently solid in all the land.

2. New Hampshire

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 1,387,834
Home Price: $367,200
Average Income: $95,628
Crime Rate: 0.01006
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 659
Households with kids: 26.4%
More On New Hampshire: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Where’s the second best place in America in which to raise your family? Right next door in New Hampshire, that’s where.

Now, most of your family members couldn’t even point to New Hampshire on a map, much less explain to their friends what to expect when they move here, but you know what? Tough cookies. You’re the parent. They’ll make new friends.

New Hampshire and Vermont are just about tied in every category. There’s technically a few more things to do in New Hampshire for fun, and New Hampshire is a wee bit safer. Plus, you can say you’re from New Hampshire.

3. Iowa

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL

Population: 3,195,937
Home Price: $195,900
Average Income: $73,147
Crime Rate: 0.01727
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 1317
Households with kids: 28.6%
More On Iowa: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Do you like wide open spaces? How about small town life? Enjoy meat and potatoes? Then Iowa is a place you and your family would LOVE.

Here, families earn the 5th highest incomes, per capita, relative to cost of living. Which means, Iowans aren’t necessarily ballers, but they bring home more than enough bacon to cover their mortgages and car payments. Iowa has the most affordable housing costs in all the land, too. Iowa is also really safe – so you wouldn’t have to worry about the ghetto crap you see in large urban areas.

For fun – meeeh. It’s not South Dakota boring, but you’d have to lower your standards if you’re used to all the big city hootin and hollerin. It’s a different kind of fun – you learn to take pride in your small town lifestyle here.

4. South Dakota

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 899,194
Home Price: $236,800
Average Income: $72,421
Crime Rate: 0.02012
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 401
Households with kids: 29.1%
More On South Dakota: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

The bad news first: Obviously, the ‘fun’ factor is through the floor. South Dakota ranks 6th to last in a recent ‘fun’ index ranking. Sure, you have enough to keep the kids entertained during the week, but for family vacations, you gotta get creative.

But, did you know South Dakota has the second lowest child care costs? I did not know that Mappy, but that’s a good point. Mom and dad will be fired up about that. Mom can pump em out and not have to worry about putting such a big strain on the family budget. And life expectancy in South Dakota is 8th highest in the US. So mom and dad can get all old and gray and crabby.

Does dad fish? They have great fishing. Ask the people who live in South Dakota. It’s a great place to raise a family. Just don’t bring your BS with you, and you’ll fit right in.

5. Nebraska

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 4.0

Population: 1,965,926
Home Price: $223,800
Average Income: $74,985
Crime Rate: 0.0222
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 690
Households with kids: 30.4%
More On Nebraska: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

If you already live in Nebraska, you know – this is a great place for families. It’s practically all butterflies and rainbows around these parts when it comes to pace of life. And Nebraska is second only to Iowa when it comes to cost of living. There would be lots of other kids to play with, too – Nebraska has the most number of families with children of any other state on this list. As long as you’re not moving to Nebraska to start a farm, your kids would have plenty of playmates.

Omaha and Lincoln each have plenty of family friendly stuff going on, so you won’t completely die of boredom. But, mom and dad, you’re likely going to lose that beach body at some point – Nebraskans aren’t necessarily the healthiest people in the land. Perhaps, it’s the long winter months indoors, or all the bread pudding, cornhuskers’ casserole and fried tenderloins.

You’ll be happy, pudgy proud parents sitting on your porches, watching the fireflies.

6. Wyoming

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 579,761
Home Price: $285,100
Average Income: $74,815
Crime Rate: 0.01673
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 276
Households with kids: 28.4%
More On Wyoming: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

While the long, dusty expanses of Wyoming might make your kids want to stab their eyeballs out of boredom. The kids won’t be happy about it, but they’ll adjust.

Now, there’s not as much ‘fun’ stuff for kids to do here as in other places, but overall, Wyoming rocks when it comes to the stuff parents care about. There are great hospitals here, especially children’s hospital – so when you get sick, you don’t have to worry about long lines and other BS as much as you do in states like California. In terms of affordability, Wyoming will let your savings account head in the right direction – up. As you may know, homes cost a lot less here than they do in places like Florida.

For fun, the kids will just have to learn to love sledding, ice skating and getting in snowball fights. What’s wrong with that? There isn’t a state within 200 miles where you’d find a better combination of safety, great schools and happy, healthy homes.

7. Vermont

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 645,254
Home Price: $290,500
Average Income: $78,024
Crime Rate: 0.02011
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 531
Households with kids: 23.7%
More On Vermont: Biggest Cities

Vermont has the best health and safety index ranking in America. Most families have health care coverage, and the doctor to resident ratio is really low. There aren’t any real natural disasters here – despite long periods of snowfall – things are relatively quiet.

Plus, Vermont is one of the safest states in America. Part of the reason people move from their home state is because of crime. You won’t find that here.

What’s odd about Vermont, though, is, despite the fact that on paper, it’s an amazing place to raise a family, it has the least number of households with kids at home. Why is that? Look, you can pick pumpkins and ride in tractors and golf! And there’s a great lake in which to boat! The kids won’t get into mischief living here, that’s for sure.

8. Connecticut

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY 2.0

Population: 3,598,348
Home Price: $343,200
Average Income: $93,760
Crime Rate: 0.01718
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 835
Households with kids: 28.7%
More On Connecticut: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Connecticut has a lot going for it. Outside of Hartford, Waterbury, and Bridgeport, many people think it’s a wonderful place. And the data backs it up. Connecticut ranks in the top 20 for every single category measured. It’s not the most boring place in the nation by any stretch, the hospitals and schools are pretty great — and Connecticut socio economics rank is actually one of the highest in America, taking into account family value type measurements like divorce rates, quality of jobs, and family incomes.

Connecticut is the 5th safest state to live. And there’s a lot of money and success here, too. Meaning your kids would have a lot of opportunities – especially if they want to be bankers.

9. Idaho

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 1,893,296
Home Price: $376,000
Average Income: $74,636
Crime Rate: 0.01083
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 388
Households with kids: 32.1%
More On Idaho: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Idaho keeps showing up on our lists this year, breaking into the top ten left and right. In this case, it ranks as the ninth best state to raise a family for 2025.

Taking a look at the data, there are two main reasons that Idaho ranks so high. First, the crime rates are some of the best in the country. Property crimes and violent crimes are both in the ten lowest for the most recent reporting year. That means that you can leave the door unlocked when you go the park in the morning and no one will break in.

The other factor contributing to Idaho’s ranking is the high percentage of households with kids. When a large number of households have children, then people tend to share the same values, interests, and sense of community. All of those things come together to make an excellent place to raise a family.

10. West Virginia

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY 2.0

Population: 1,784,462
Home Price: $155,600
Average Income: $57,917
Crime Rate: 0.01449
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 439
Households with kids: 26.3%
More On West Virginia: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

How We Determined The Best States to Raise A Family in The US For 2025

When we analyze the best states for families, we use Saturday Night Science to compare demographics, crime, and school data across every state.

For this analysis we took into account theU.S. Census’s 2019-2023 ACS data on jobs and healthcare, FBI crime data for safety, NCES data on school quality. The Census compiles the best geographical data set for populations in each state.

We combined the data to reach the following set of items:

Number of colleges nearby
Population density
Quality of education
Crime
Healthcare
Jobs (or lack of them)

These are the qualities you’d argue with friends over what makes a state great for families. We then ranked each state for each one of the categories from 1 to 50. We averaged the rankings out to create a “Family Index.” What state came out the best for families? Maine.

We updated this article for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best states for families in America.

Best States In America

There You Have It — The Best States in America to Raise a Family For 2025

After measuring almost every category we could think of to decide which states are best, it’s clear – the Northeast and Midwest are awesome places to raise kids and settle down. If you already live in one of these states, consider yourself lucky. These are your best starting points if you’re considering moving for a job or getting a fresh start.

The best states for families in the United States are Maine, New Hampshire, Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Vermont, Connecticut, Idaho, and West Virginia.

What else do these states have in common? They are the least diverse states, too. So, if you want your kids to grow up in a community with varying viewpoints, then you should take them to places like California or Texas.

While it’s good news for the states we mentioned, we have to throw some love at the worst states to raise a family in America. If you live in Florida, Arizona, or South Carolina, you have some great areas. But overall, there’s a lot to be desired.

But it could be worse. You could live in Alaska.

Here’s a quick look at the bottom of the list:

Nevada
South Carolina
California

For more reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best States To Raise A Family In America For 2025

Rank	State	Population	Median Income	Home Price	Crime Rate	Amenity Score
1	Maine	1,377,400	$71,773	$266,400	0.01239	874
2	New Hampshire	1,387,834	$95,628	$367,200	0.01006	669
3	Iowa	3,195,937	$73,147	$195,900	0.01727	1304
4	South Dakota	899,194	$72,421	$236,800	0.02012	414
5	Nebraska	1,965,926	$74,985	$223,800	0.0222	697
6	Wyoming	579,761	$74,815	$285,100	0.01673	281
7	Vermont	645,254	$78,024	$290,500	0.02011	544
8	Connecticut	3,598,348	$93,760	$343,200	0.01718	838
9	Idaho	1,893,296	$74,636	$376,000	0.01083	374
10	West Virginia	1,784,462	$57,917	$155,600	0.01449	465
11	Massachusetts	6,992,395	$101,341	$525,800	0.01417	1557
12	North Dakota	779,361	$75,949	$241,100	0.02221	427
13	Rhode Island	1,095,371	$86,372	$368,800	0.01289	301
14	Kansas	2,937,569	$72,639	$203,400	0.02526	971
15	Wisconsin	5,892,023	$75,670	$247,400	0.0151	1388
16	Kentucky	4,510,725	$62,417	$192,300	0.01782	682
17	Alaska	733,971	$89,336	$333,300	0.02602	293
18	Oklahoma	3,995,260	$63,603	$185,900	0.026	802
19	New Jersey	9,267,014	$101,050	$427,600	0.01747	1182
20	Hawaii	1,445,635	$98,317	$808,200	0.01843	239
21	Minnesota	5,713,716	$87,556	$305,500	0.01972	946
22	Mississippi	2,951,438	$54,915	$161,400	0.01783	367
23	Montana	1,105,072	$69,922	$338,100	0.02333	423
24	Virginia	8,657,499	$90,974	$360,700	0.01908	1175
25	Pennsylvania	12,986,518	$76,081	$240,500	0.01842	1744
26	Indiana	6,811,752	$70,051	$201,600	0.01889	1015
27	Illinois	12,692,653	$81,702	$250,500	0.02007	1844
28	Utah	3,331,187	$91,750	$455,000	0.01912	324
29	Alabama	5,054,253	$62,027	$195,100	0.02125	801
30	Ohio	11,780,046	$69,680	$199,200	0.0198	1486
31	Arkansas	3,032,651	$58,773	$175,300	0.02882	467
32	Missouri	6,168,181	$68,920	$215,600	0.02565	1043
33	Oregon	4,238,714	$80,426	$454,200	0.02913	768
34	New York	19,872,319	$84,578	$403,000	0.02155	2137
35	Michigan	10,051,595	$71,149	$217,600	0.02001	1522
36	New Mexico	2,114,768	$62,125	$232,200	0.03636	484
37	Georgia	10,822,590	$74,664	$272,900	0.02217	875
38	Delaware	1,005,872	$82,855	$326,800	0.02319	211
39	Tennessee	6,986,082	$67,097	$256,800	0.0305	880
40	Maryland	6,170,738	$101,652	$397,700	0.02501	729
41	North Carolina	10,584,340	$69,904	$259,400	0.02515	1026
42	Louisiana	4,621,025	$60,023	$208,700	0.03146	551
43	Washington	7,740,984	$94,952	$519,800	0.03274	904
44	Texas	29,640,343	$76,292	$260,400	0.02721	1794
45	Arizona	7,268,175	$76,872	$358,900	0.02255	644
46	Colorado	5,810,774	$92,470	$502,200	0.03391	862
47	Florida	21,928,881	$71,711	$325,000	0.01863	1304
48	California	39,242,785	$96,334	$695,400	0.02814	1608
49	South Carolina	5,212,774	$66,818	$236,700	0.02746	519
50	Nevada	3,141,000	$75,561	$406,100	0.02983	256