Arizona is 10th worst state to raise a family, WalletHub report says

By Chase Hunter
Arizona Republic

The free credit score website WalletHub compared 50 states across 50 individual metrics to find out which states are best to raise a family in. Arizona didn’t fare well.

Arizona ranked the 10th worst state in the country to raise a family in, according to the rankings. The 50 metrics used were separated into five categories: Family Fun, Health & Safety, Education & Child Care, Affordability and Socio-Economics.

Arizona scored 48th in both Affordability and Education & Child Care. The only category which Arizona ranked (13th) in the top half of states was Family Fun.

The methodology of the study uses a weighted scale for metrics based on experts’ opinions. Some metrics are weighted more heavily than other metrics in the same category.

In the category of Family Fun, the number of attractions had triple the weight of the other three metrics in that category.

The Health and Safety category has 15 different metric points it uses to render a grade, which is compiled for a holistic view of the state’s capacity to raise children.

Arizona ranked 26th and 36th in Socio-Economics and Health & Safety, respectively.

The top 5
– Minnesota
– Massachusetts
– North Dakota
– Vermont
– New Hampshire

The bottom 5
– New Mexico
– Mississippi
– Louisiana
– West Virginia
– Alabama