Florida Only So-So Place To Raise Family: Study

MIAMI, FL — Florida's high divorce and separation rate combined with its lack of affordable housing and low percentage of families with young children gave the Sunshine State mixed results in a new study of the best states to raise a family. Florida ranked 32 of the 50 states when it comes to raising a family, according to personal finance website WalletHub. Experts based the rankings on 42 indicators of family friendliness.

"To determine the best states in which to put down family roots, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 42 key indicators of family-friendliness," according to the findings released on Monday. "The data set ranges from median family salary to housing affordability to unemployment rate."

Florida finished 42nd for childcare costs adjusted for median family income, 29th for infant mortality rate, 41st for median family salary adjusted for cost of living, 33rd for violent crime rate, 34th in terms of the percentage of families in poverty, 47th for housing affordability, 27th for unemployment and 48th for the separation and divorce rate.

"Raising a healthy, stable family sometimes requires moving to a new state. And the reasons are often similar: career transitions, better schools, financial challenges or perhaps a general desire to change settings," WalletHub penned.

"But wants and needs don’t always align in a particular state, which might offer, for instance, a low income-tax rate yet sub-par education system," according to the website. "Consequently, a family must make unnecessary sacrifices — the kinds that are easily avoided by knowing which states offer the best combination of qualities that matter most to parents and their kids."

Topping the list of best states to raise a family include Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Vermont. The worst states included New Mexico, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia and Louisiana.

Click here to read more about the study.

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