Here’s How Illinois Ranks For Raising A Family

ILLINOIS — Illinois is among the best states in America to raise a family, ranking in the top half. That’s according to a report published Monday by the folks at WalletHub. The researchers looked at various factors in the following categories: family fun, health and safety, education and child care, affordability and socio-economics.

WalletHub measured dozens of metrics in the categories. Number of attractions received a triple weight, while quality of public schools and paid family leave both received a double weight. Here’s a breakdown of the rankings for Illinois:

• Overall: 18
• Family fun: 4
• Health and safety:27
• Education and child care:23
• Affordability:19
• Socio-economics: 41

The best state to raise a family is apparently Minnesota, the study concluded. While the state didn’t rank No. 1 in any single category, it ranked in the top 10 for four out of the five.
Furthermore, Minnesotans have the highest median family salary in the country when adjusted for cost of living. The state also has one of the lowest percentages of families living in poverty and one of the lowest divorce rates.

Overall, northern states tended to perform better in the rankings. Six of the top 10 states were in the Northeast and three were located in the Great Plains. Here are the top 10 states to raise a family:

1. Minnesota
2. Massachusetts
3. North Dakota
4. Vermont
5. New Hampshire
6. New York
7. Wisconsin
8. New Jersey
9. Rhode Island
10. Nebraska

States in the South and Southwest tended to perform worse in the rankings. That includes New Mexico, which ranked dead last for raising a family.

New Mexico’s best ranking was 36th for family fun. The state placed in the bottom 10 in the other four rankings including 50th for socio-economics. Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia and Alabama rounded out the bottom five, with Mississippi ranking among the very worst in divorce rate, percent of families living in poverty and infant mortality.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Shutterstock