These CA Cities Are The Best And Worst Places To Raise A Family: Study

CALIFORNIA — The country's best place to raise a family is in California, according to a new report.

The personal finance website WalletHub looked at the best and worst places to raise a family, with Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area once again ranking as the overall best place to put down roots. The city topped last year's rankings as well.

WalletHub compared 182 cities based on affordability, family fun, education and child care, health and safety, and socioeconomics.

"Finding the best place to raise a family is difficult, between balancing an affordable cost of living with good educational opportunities, safety and enough recreation to keep kids entertained," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. "On top of all of these factors, people also often want to raise their children close to their extended family. Therefore, current or prospective parents can benefit from narrowing down their choices to a few of the best cities that are within a reasonable drive of their family."

Fremont took the top spot largely due to economic factors. The city boasts one of the highest median family incomes after adjusting for the cost of living, at close to $130,000. The city also has the third-lowest share of families living in poverty, as well as the third-lowest share receiving food stamps.

Fremont scored first for socioeconomics, as well as second for education and childcare.

"Fremont is especially good when it comes to children's education, with over 58% of public schools rated at least a 7 out of 10," Lupo added. "In addition, Fremont is a good city for children's health, as only 1.6% of children lack health insurance and only 1.1% of the population lacks access to healthy food."

Fremont wasn't the only city in California that landed on the list. Five cities in the Golden State ranked among the top 15 best places for families.

Irvine in Orange County ranked fourth, and America's Finest City, San Diego, rounded out the top 10. Huntington Beach claimed the 11th spot, while San Jose ranked 13th.

Overland Park, Kansas, ranked second overall, while Plano, Texas ranked third. Overland scored first for affordability and third for socioeconomics.

San Bernardino is the worst place to raise a family in California, according to the report. The city in the Inland Empire region of the state ranked No. 175.

Memphis, Tennessee, at No. 182, ranked as the overall worst place to raise a family.

See how other cities in California ranked below. National rankings are in parenthesis.

1. Fremont (1)
2. Irvine (4)
3. San Diego (10)
4. Huntington Beach (11)
5. San Jose (13)
6. San Francisco (21)
7. Santa Rosa (30)
8. Santa Rosa (32)
9. Rancho Cucamonga (40)
10. Sacramento (41)
11. Chula Vista (47)
12. Garden Grove (48)
13. Oceanside (59)
14. Los Angeles (76)
15. Modesto (78)
16. Glendale (84)
17. Long Beach (91)
18. Anaheim (102)
19. Bakersfield (111)
20. Fontana (112)
21. Oakland (116)
22. Stockton (119)
23. Santa Ana (123)
24. Fresno (124)
25. Riverside (129)
26. Oxnard (134)
27. Ontario (146)
28. Moreno Valley (148)
29. San Bernardino (175)

View the full report on WalletHub.