
With the cost of raising a child to age 18 reaching well over $300,000, personal finance website WalletHub released its report on the best states to raise a family in 2025. By comparing all 50 states across 50 key indicators of family-friendliness–such as median annual family income, housing affordability, health care quality, crime rate, and school quality–WalletHub was able to highlight the states that are affordable, safe, well-educated, and enjoyable for families to live in.
And with a plethora of things to do around the city with kids–from day trips and free things to do to kid-friendly restaurants, we had a feeling New York would score towards the top, and we were right–New York came in sixth on the list of best states to raise a family.
New York ranked with a total score of 59.97. Highlights for how New York ranked in specific categories–both good and baad–are as follows:
- Infant-Mortality Rate – 6th
- Median Annual Family Income (Adjusted for Cost of Living) – 23rd
- Separation & Divorce Rate – 20th
- Percentage of Children (Newborn to Age 18) Lacking Health Insurance Coverage – 3rd
- Poverty Crimes per Capita – 22nd
- Affordable Housing – 46th
- Child Care Costs – 50th

Overall, Massachusetts is the best state to raise a family with a total score of 68.88. Massachusetts has the best job security in the country, the 10th-lowest poverty rate, the best water quality in the country, the highest rate of children with health insurance, and the lowest infant mortality rate. It also has the second-highest overall life expectancy and third-lowest property crime rate. In addition, Massachusetts ranks first in the country for the quality of its public school system.
Chip Lupo, WalletHub Writer and Analyst, stated:
Raising a family has become significantly more expensive in recent years…it can cost a family well over $300,000 to raise a child to age 18…it’s important to live in a city that is affordable while still providing quality health care, education, safety and opportunities for enrichment.

Rounding out the top ten best states to raise a family is as follows:
1. Massachussetts
2. Minnesota
3. North Dakota
4. Nebraska
5. New Hampshire
6. New York
7. Illinois
8. Wisconsin
9. Maine
10. Connecticut
Visit WalletHub’s site for the full ranking.