Citing affordability and good healthcare, Minnesota is among the top states to raise a family.
From sleepless nights with newborns to mood swings with teenagers, raising children is anything but easy. However, a study recently released by WalletHub identifies which states make parenting more accessible, ranking 50 factors that weigh everything from affordability to healthcare. Minnesota earned the study’s silver medal, coming in at #2 after Massachusetts.
If you can handle the cold winters and the mosquito-filled summers, you’d be hard pressed to find a better place to raise your kids than the North Star State.
High wages for parents
We don’t have to tell parents this twice- raising kids is EXPENSIVE, and that’s not accounting for factors like inflation and rising costs. According to the USDA, parents will spend a total of $233,610 raising a child born in 2015, but your parenting dollar may go a bit further in Minnesota. The top reason our state came in at the front of the list was affordability. On top of low poverty rates and wealth gaps, Minnesota has the second-highest average family income of over $104,000. WalletHub also cites generous long-term benefits from employers as another reason for financial stability. Minnesota also ranked #5 regarding childcare costs, adjusted for the median family income.
Read more about why Minnesota is a Top State for Families!
Minnesotans stick together
When Minnesotans say, “Til Death Do Us Part, ” they mean it. Minnesota came in near the bottom when analyzing factors like separation and divorce rates, which is a good thing. We also scored high marks for the number of two-parent families and long-lasting marriages across the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Minnesotans are also in luck if you’re looking to add another parent friend to your playdate roster. Minnesota ranks among the top ten states for families with children ages 0 to 17. With a large number of children comes countless attractions and activities to keep families of all ages busy.
Excellent hospitals and healthy kids
Minnesota has long been known as the home of excellent healthcare (Hello, Mayo Clinic!), so it’s no surprise that our state ranks among the top in terms of resources to keep kids healthy. We came in at #6 when scrutinizing the best public hospitals across the country, and #3 when looking at life expectancy after birth. And we aren’t just talking about pediatricians and well-child visits. We naturally encourage kids to get outside and stay active, with Minnesota making the top ten list of states with children who live near a park or playground.
Mary McGuire is a mother of two young girls and freelance journalist based in the Twin Cities. Her current interests include searching for lost pacifiers, cleaning up crushed Cheerios, and sharing everything our great state has to offer with other families. Born and raised in Edina, Mary has worked in broadcast television for more than a decade at TV stations across the country.
