Do you believe this report? NJ is not a bad place to raise a family

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Is New Jersey a good state to raise a family?

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 WalletHub looked at 50 metrics across all states

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Report looks at five key categories of family friendliness

Moms and dads, you’re in luck.

New Jersey is a decent state in which to raise a family. Personal finance website WalletHub released its report on “2024’s Best & Worst States to Raise a Family.”

The Metrics

To determine the best states in which to put down family roots, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 50 key indicators of family-friendliness.

Those metrics were grouped into five key categories: Family Fun, Health and Safety, Education and Child Care, Affordability, and Socio-Economics, said WalletHub analyst, Cassandra Happe.

“We really looked at a variety of things from the share of parks and playgrounds in neighborhoods to the quality of public hospitals to graduation rates, and income rates, pretty much anything that would go into what you would consider when you’re looking for a place to raise a family,” Happe said.

New Jersey’s Rank

New Jersey ranked pretty well on this list, coming in at #17 and still in the top half of the country when it comes to raising a family.

The Garden State did very well when it came to education and child care, ranking third overall in that dimension, Happe said. New Jersey also ranked 6th in affordability. The state is a great place to raise a child with a quality education and care, and at a good cost, she added.

Affordability

When it came to affordability, New Jersey ranked 6th overall. It did well in median non-mortgage debt and ranked second in that category. The state also ranked first when it came to paid family leave. That means it has paid family leave laws in place that make it easier to take care of your family. It’s affordable to do that because couples are not completely without income during family leave time, Happe said.

Education and Child Care

What stood out for New Jersey when it came to education and childcare was the quality of public schools. It ranked third overall for that. It also ranked 4th overall when it came to the public high school graduation rate.

“Those are really good indicators that the public school system is doing very well in educating the children in New Jersey,” she said.

Family Fun

New Jersey ranked 26th in this category. It came in first overall for its share of parks and playgrounds and ranked 7th overall for fitness and recreational sports centers per capita.

Health and Safety

New Jersey is the 19th healthiest and safest state in the nation, according to the report. It did well when it came to the infant mortality rate. In fact, New Jersey has the fourth lowest infant mortality rate in the nation.

Socio-Economics

New Jersey ranked 39th overall, in the bottom half of the country when it came to socio-economics.

The state stood out in a positive light by having the third lowest separation and divorce rate.

“But it could really look to improve in this particular category when it comes to job opportunities and foreclosure rates. It ranked 48th overall for those two metrics,” Happe said.

Best and Worst States to Raise Family

The best state in which to raise a family according to WalletHub is Massachusetts. North Dakota is the second-best state, followed by Minnesota, Nebraska, and New York.
The worst state in which to raise a family is New Mexico. That’s followed by Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, and Arkansas.

Happe said if you’re looking to relocate to raise a family, it may be a good idea to do some research. Reach out to parents who live in that state, and find out what they think. Take a trip and visit the state you’re interested in to see if it’s the right fit for you and your family.

To check out the full report, visit here.

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