Texas ranked in the bottom half of the 50 states in a new WalletHub study that examines how family-friendly the states are based on criteria such as school quality, housing affordability and income tax rates.
The Lone Star State scored 46.42 out of 100 in the ranking, putting Texas in 30th place in the study. In comparison, No. 1 Massachusetts scored 65.21 in the analysis that compared states over five dimensions: Family fun, health and safety, quality of schools and child care, living affordability and socio-economic issues such as divorce rates.
Texas ranked fifth in the family fun category, 47th for health and safety, 30th in education and child care, 44th in affordability and 44th in socio-economics.
In addition, Texas had the second highest share of families with young children among the states.
The study’s authors say the ranking aims to provide readers with a comprehensive measure of how states are doing in addressing those concerns deemed most important to parents and their children.
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Best and Worst States to Raise a Family
Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Family Fun | Health & Safety | Education & Child Care | Affordability | Socio-economics |
1 | Massachusetts | 65.21 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 24 |
2 | New York | 61.81 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 46 |
3 | Vermont | 59.15 | 44 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 1 |
4 | Minnesota | 58.79 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 9 | 7 |
5 | Nebraska | 58.49 | 17 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 4 |
6 | New Hampshire | 58.38 | 34 | 2 | 9 | 24 | 5 |
7 | Connecticut | 57.67 | 29 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 38 |
8 | Washington | 57.58 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 3 | 16 |
9 | North Dakota | 57.57 | 31 | 17 | 3 | 15 | 2 |
10 | New Jersey | 57.01 | 21 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 41 |
11 | Rhode Island | 55.72 | 28 | 5 | 17 | 5 | 32 |
12 | Iowa | 55.58 | 32 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 10 |
13 | Utah | 54.98 | 16 | 19 | 15 | 38 | 3 |
14 | Wisconsin | 54.47 | 20 | 23 | 16 | 19 | 11 |
15 | South Dakota | 54.39 | 30 | 12 | 13 | 27 | 8 |
16 | Illinois | 54.06 | 3 | 31 | 21 | 22 | 43 |
17 | Maine | 53.73 | 46 | 4 | 6 | 33 | 14 |
18 | Virginia | 53.16 | 27 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 17 |
19 | Colorado | 53.16 | 7 | 29 | 28 | 18 | 18 |
20 | Maryland | 52.72 | 23 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
21 | Pennsylvania | 51.59 | 12 | 27 | 25 | 8 | 27 |
22 | Montana | 51.53 | 39 | 20 | 8 | 43 | 6 |
23 | Hawaii | 51.32 | 15 | 6 | 27 | 40 | 21 |
24 | California | 51.18 | 1 | 32 | 46 | 20 | 42 |
25 | Oregon | 50.79 | 10 | 24 | 35 | 11 | 20 |
26 | Wyoming | 49.76 | 33 | 16 | 19 | 39 | 13 |
27 | Kansas | 49.3 | 37 | 35 | 23 | 16 | 12 |
28 | Missouri | 49.12 | 24 | 34 | 20 | 26 | 15 |
29 | Delaware | 46.63 | 40 | 26 | 18 | 25 | 37 |
30 | Texas | 46.42 | 5 | 47 | 30 | 44 | 44 |
31 | Ohio | 45.07 | 19 | 30 | 38 | 23 | 40 |
32 | Alaska | 45.06 | 14 | 33 | 40 | 28 | 23 |
33 | Indiana | 44.75 | 36 | 37 | 33 | 21 | 19 |
34 | Idaho | 44.46 | 38 | 21 | 45 | 47 | 9 |
35 | Michigan | 44.41 | 43 | 25 | 34 | 12 | 39 |
36 | Tennessee | 43.85 | 22 | 40 | 32 | 34 | 25 |
37 | North Carolina | 43.7 | 26 | 39 | 29 | 37 | 26 |
38 | Kentucky | 43.19 | 45 | 28 | 24 | 35 | 33 |
39 | Florida | 43.12 | 6 | 38 | 31 | 50 | 45 |
40 | Arizona | 40.39 | 11 | 36 | 47 | 48 | 29 |
41 | Georgia | 39.83 | 25 | 46 | 39 | 42 | 35 |
42 | Nevada | 38.96 | 4 | 45 | 49 | 49 | 49 |
43 | Alabama | 38.34 | 47 | 44 | 41 | 17 | 31 |
44 | Arkansas | 37.91 | 48 | 43 | 36 | 29 | 28 |
45 | West Virginia | 37.69 | 50 | 22 | 43 | 41 | 22 |
46 | Oklahoma | 37.19 | 41 | 48 | 44 | 36 | 34 |
47 | South Carolina | 37.09 | 42 | 41 | 42 | 46 | 36 |
48 | Louisiana | 34.66 | 18 | 49 | 48 | 31 | 50 |
49 | New Mexico | 30.79 | 35 | 42 | 50 | 45 | 48 |
50 | Mississippi | 30.47 | 49 | 50 | 37 | 32 | 47 |