Where Is the Best Place in America to Raise Your Children?

A new study from the personal finance technology company SmartAsset has listed the upper Midwest as home to eight of the top 10 places to raise a child.

Looking only at U.S. metro areas with a population greater than 200,000, the second annual study made its selections based on 13 factors that influence a child’s quality of life, including water quality, air quality, intergenerational mobility, and access to schools with high graduation rates and high rates of proficiency in math and reading. Child and infant mortality rates, child poverty rates, median home values, and the percentage of children without health insurance also factored into the decision.

The Best Places in America for Children
1. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
3. Lincoln, Nebraska
4. Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa
5. Omaha, Nebraska-Council Bluffs, Iowa
6. Rochester, Minnesota
7. York-Hanover, Pennsylvania
8. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts
9. Appleton, Wisconsin
10. Fargo, North Dakota-Moorhead, Minnesota

While the Midwest performed well, Florida contained seven of the 10 worst places for children, including Ocala, Florida, which ranked last for the second consecutive year.