What is the most kid friendly state?

The best states for kids consistently feature strong education, healthcare, safety (low crime), and affordability, with Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Utah frequently topping lists, often praised for their excellent schools and low child poverty rates, while the Northeast and parts of the Midwest generally lead overall rankings for family well-being. However, factors like outdoor access (Utah, Maine) or lower cost of living (Nebraska, North Dakota) also influence rankings, showing that "best" depends on family priorities.

What is the best state to raise a child in?

Based on those metrics, Massachusetts took first place overall on WalletHub's 2026 list. “Massachusetts is the best state to raise a family, in large part because it provides a good blend of economic opportunities and safe conditions for children,” the study says.

What is the least kid friendly state?

Top 10 Least Safe States for Children in 2023

1. West Virginia – Child Unsafety Score: 99. Maltreatment reports: 5,949 per 100K. ...
2. Mississippi – Score: 98. ...
3. Arkansas – Score: 96. ...
4. New Mexico – Score: 86. ...
5. Missouri – Score: 84. ...
6. Indiana – Score: 82. ...
7. Louisiana – Score: 80. ...
8. South Carolina – Score: 78.

What is the safest state for kids?

The safest states for children are Maine, Vermont, Minnesota, and Utah, thanks to their low crime rates, strong investments in education, and high-quality healthcare systems. These states consistently appear among the safest states to raise a family nationwide.

What state has the happiest kids?

Massachusetts (FHI: 75): Massachusetts has the highest index for children's health and well-being at 77.8. Massachusetts residents have to spend a larger part of their income on childcare, but the statistics show strong families, with a lower divorce rate of 2.75.

Top 5 Places to Travel With Kids

What are the top 3 safest states?

Based on recent 2024/2025 data, the top three safest states consistently include New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, often followed closely by Massachusetts, with rankings varying slightly by the specific metrics (like violent crime, property crime, or overall safety scores) used by different analyses from sources like U.S. News and WalletHub. 

What state is #1 in safety?

There isn't one single #1 state for safety, as rankings vary by source and criteria, but Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts consistently appear at the top for overall safety, with Vermont often leading for its balance of low crime, strong financial security, and emergency preparedness in recent 2024-2026 reports from WalletHub and others, while New Hampshire excels in low crime and public safety metrics. Maine also ranks highly, particularly for low violent crime rates. 

Where do the happiest children live?

According to the most recent UNICEF report, the countries where children have the highest well-being are consistently the Netherlands, Denmark and France, with Portugal in fourth place.

What is the most kid friendly city in the US?

There's no single "most" kid-friendly city, as it depends on what you're looking for (vacation vs. living), but top contenders often cited for overall family-friendliness include Fremont, CA, Overland Park, KS, and Plano, TX, excelling in safety, schools, and affordability. For vacations, Orlando, FL, is famous for theme parks, while New York City, San Diego, and Chicago offer endless cultural and outdoor activities. 

What state is #1 in quality of life?

There isn't one single answer, as different studies rank states differently, but Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Jersey frequently appear at the top for quality of life, with Vermont leading in CNBC's metrics (health, environment, inclusion), Massachusetts in WalletHub's overall rankings (healthcare, education), and New Jersey praised for safety and health. States like Minnesota, Idaho, and Utah also consistently rank high, emphasizing factors like strong economies, environments, and community well-being. 

What is the cheapest state to raise a child?

Mississippi remains the most affordable state to raise a child, despite a 10% increase in costs year over year. The estimate now sits at $19,178 per year. Alabama ($20,550); Kentucky ($20,758); South Dakota ($21,174); and Georgia ($21,299) are also among the least expensive states for raising a child.

Where does family Friendly live?

Although Family Friendly initially built their channel around online challenges, they have begun transitioning towards more real-life (IRL) content. However, this poses a challenge as JD resides in Florida while the others are based in California, making it difficult to include JD in videos.

What is the #1 state to raise a family?

According to recent 2026 studies, Massachusetts is often ranked as the #1 state to raise a family due to top-tier education, strong job markets, good health outcomes, and low poverty, despite higher living costs, with Minnesota and North Dakota frequently following in the top three for strong economies, affordability, and family well-being. These rankings consider factors like healthcare, safety, education, childcare, and affordability.
 

Which state is the best to start over?

The "best" state to start over depends on your priorities (jobs, cost of living, lifestyle), but popular choices often cited include Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Colorado, North Carolina, and states with no income tax like Alaska, Washington, or Nevada (though not on all lists), balancing opportunities with cost, with some cities offering incentives like Topeka, Kansas, or affordable options like McAllen, Texas, but be aware of potential downsides like Texas's high property taxes and heat. 

What are the happiest states to live in?

The 10 happiest states in America in 2025

• Hawaii.
• Maryland.
• Nebraska.
• New Jersey.
• Connecticut.
• Utah.
• California.
• New Hampshire.

What state has the healthiest kids?

Top states overall: New Hampshire ranks first for child well-being in 2025, followed by Vermont, Massachusetts, Utah, and Minnesota, reflecting strong performance in economic stability, education, health, and family indicators.

What country pays you to move there and have kids?

Switzerland

This program pays individuals up to 20,000 Swiss Francs to relocate to the small town to help with repopulation. If you have kids, they offer an additional 11,000 Swiss Francs for each kid. To qualify, you need to: Agree to stay for at least 10 years.

What is the #1 happiest country?

Finland is the 1st happiest country in the world, holding the top spot for the eighth consecutive year in the 2025 World Happiness Report, according to reports from sources like Axios, CNN, and Global Finance Magazine, with other Nordic nations like Denmark and Iceland consistently placing in the top three. 

What is the #1 crime state in America?

Alaska consistently ranks as having the highest violent crime rate per capita in recent data (2024), followed closely by New Mexico, while Louisiana often leads in specific metrics like murder rates, showing that the "number 1" state depends on the specific crime type measured. Other states like Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi also frequently appear in the top ranks for violent crime and homicide. 

Is Texas or Florida safer?

Next came Mississippi, which received a score of 36.77. Texas was ranked the third least safe state with a score of 38.14, and Florida came fourth with 38.67 points. The fifth most dangerous state was Arkansas, which received 40.16 points.

Which US state is best to live in?

The "best" state depends on priorities, but Massachusetts, Utah, and Idaho frequently rank high, with Massachusetts leading in education/health, Utah in economy/stability, and Idaho offering great nature/affordability. Other top contenders include New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, while Vermont shines for quality of life, and Maine for safety and nature, though cost of living varies greatly. 

What is the riskiest state to drive in?

Key findings. North Dakota has the worst drivers in the U.S. In 2025 through September, North Dakota drivers had 64.0 incidents (including accidents, DUIs, speeding and citations) per 1,000 drivers. The next worst drivers are in New Jersey (58.8) and Utah (54.6). The best drivers in the U.S. are in Michigan.

Which state is the friendliest?

WCCO CBS reported, "The study found that Minnesota is the friendliest state." This edged out Texas and other notoriously friendly-seeming states in that region (depending on who you ask).

Which state has the lowest murders?

A table showing the age-adjusted homicide death rate and total homicides by state, for 2023. Mississippi has the highest homicide rate; New Hampshire has the lowest.