This Is the Best State to Bring Up Your Brood

Myriad factors come into play when considering where to raise a family, and WalletHub has just tried to make the task a bit easier. The site took a close look at all 50 states, examining more than four dozen metrics in five main categories: family fun (which includes such things as attractions and the share of families with young kids); health and safety (e.g., the quality of public hospitals, as well as pediatricians per capita); education and child care (costs for the latter, as well as quality of public schools); affordability (costs for housing and health insurance, as well as median family income); and socioeconomics (the wealth gap, separation and divorce rates, and job security). Minnesota topped the list, but nine other states also look promising:

1. Minnesota
2. Massachusetts
3. North Dakota (No. 1 in "Education and Child Care" and "Socioeconomics" categories)
4. Vermont (No. 1 in "Health and Safety" category)
5. New Hampshire
6. New York (No. 1 in "Family Fun" category)
7. New Jersey (No. 1 in "Affordability" category)
8. Nebraska
9. Connecticut
10. Washington

Check out how other states fared. (Here's the best US city for raising a family.)