Massachusetts Ranks as the Best State to Raise a Family in 2023

Sometimes going somewhere for a fresh start is required when you're thinking of starting a family. Perhaps you're someone who just wants a better overall quality of life for your family. Whether it is either of those or some other reason, you can have all of that by raising your family in Massachusetts. Especially since the Bay State has been listed as the top state to raise a family in!

According to our friends at Wallet Hub, they ranked where each state landed in terms of where the best and worst places are to raise a family throughout the U.S. While there are usually always plenty of pros and cons weighing in on any decision regarding your family, you can find the best combination of qualities that are the most important factors to both parents and kids alike. And that is exactly what you might see in this particular ranking.

Through 51 key indicators of 'family-friendliness', Wallet Hub measured such things as 'median annual family income', 'housing affordability', and 'unemployment rate' in each state to come up with their rankings. There were also sub-categories such as:

• Family Fun
• Health & Safety
• Education & Child Care
• Affordability
• Socio-economics

While Massachusetts didn't necessarily finish at the top of the list in any of those sub-categories, we did come in the top five for 'Health & Safety' (5th), 'Education & Child Care' (2nd), and 'Affordability' (2nd). We also finished in the top ten for 'Family Fun' (9th). Massachusetts also finished with the 3rd lowest infant mortality rate of any state in the country.

Following us were Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, and Vermont to round out the top five states to raise a family. With New York and Vermont up there, there must just be something about our tri-state region.

For the full list of criteria and to see where other states ranked on the list, you can check out the map below.