With the worst infant mortality rate in the country, a high number of separations and divorce, and an unnerving violent crime rate, Alabama has been ranked as the fifth worst state in the nation in a new report a new report by personal finance website WalletHub on the best and worst places to raise a family.
To determine the best states in which to put down family roots, WalletHub compared the 50 states across five key dimensions — 1) Family Fun, 2) Health & Safety, 3) Education & Child Care, 4) Affordability and 5) Socio-economics — across 49 key indicators of family-friendliness. The data set ranges from median family salary to housing affordability to unemployment rate. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for family life.
Here’s how Alabama ranked (1= best; 25= avg.):
- 40th: % of families with young kids
- 50th: Infant-mortality fate
- 35th: Median family Salary (adjusted for cost of living)
- 43rd: Violent-crime rate
- 46th: % of Families in poverty
- 16th: Housing affordability
- 29th: Unemployment rate
- 44th: Separation & divorce rate
See how Alabama compares to the rest of the country:
Best states for families:
1. Minnesota
2. Massachusetts
3. North Dakota
4. Vermont
5. New Hampshire
6. New York
7. Wisconsin
8. New Jersey
9. Rhode Island
10. Nebraska
Worst states for families:
41. Georgia
42. Oklahoma
43. South Carolina
44. Arkansas
45. Nevada
46. Alabama
47. West Virginia
48. Louisiana
49. Mississippi
50. New Mexico