(NEXSTAR) – Among the many concerns parents juggle is the environment in which their children will grow up.
A new study from Hire A Helper breaks down the best – and worst – cities in the U.S. for raising a family, based on school rankings, median income, cost of living, cost of childcare, safety, family health, family fun opportunities, and more.
Irvine, California received the highest score of any city, thanks to its exceptional public schools and high marks for family fun, health, safety and park quality.
A file photo shows a hillside houses in Irvine in southern Orange County, California. (Getty)
“Although Irvine can be pricey, the high median income helps balance these costs,” the study notes, adding that those aspects help offset the high costs of life and childcare, “for those who can manage the expenses.”
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Rounding out the Top 20 were:
- Irvine, CA
- Plano, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Seattle, WA
- San Jose, CA
- Boise, ID
- New York, NY
- Madison, WI
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Raleigh, NC
- Portland, OR
- Atlanta, GA
- Lincoln, NE
- Sacramento, CA
- Orlando, FL
- Honolulu, HI
- Austin, TX
- Washington, DC
See the complete study for the full ranking and more information on the methodology.
The worst city on the list was Memphis, due to especially low grades for public schools, median income, family-friendly activities, health, safety and support for working parents.
While safety remains a challenge in some US cities, violent crime statistics released earlier this year show the nation as a whole enjoyed a sharp decline in 2025.
“This is the fourth year in a row of declines, and each year has gotten a little bigger than the year before. And this is the first time that we’ve seen it in all of the categories, I think seven of the eight categories fell by close to a record amount,” John Roman, director of the Center on Public Safety and Justice at NORC at the University of Chicago, told The Hill. “So this is a unique and historic decline in crime and violence in the U.S.”
