Jersey City ranked number two on the top ten list of US cities for young families. Over 100 cities were considered for the top ten spots and ranked based on four criteria: average rent for a two-bedroom apartment, crime statistics, students per classroom, daycares per square mile, and a cheeky pro sports teams index since kids like sports!
Jersey City’s average rent for a two-bedroom was, not surprisingly, high at $3,273, but was balanced out by the proximity to Manhattan–”expensive but worth it”. Jersey City scored relatively low on the crime index overall (33/100), but of the cities on the list, only Stamford, Connecticut (#7 ) has a higher crime index (45/100). There are only 11 students in each classroom and 35 daycares per square mile. And although Jersey City has no local professional sports teams, it’s obviously still close enough to take advantage of all the NY/NJ franchises.
Jersey City’s final score was 59.85/100 while Tampa took the top spot with a score of 62.6/100. The list overall was pretty well-rounded and represented most regions of the US: Arlington, Texas (#6) has the cheapest average rent for a two-bedroom, $937!, and Minneapolis, Minnesota (#9) has the lowest score on the crime index with 5/100.
Anaheim, California’s (#10) beautiful weather and proximity to Disneyland are worth a lot when considering starting a family. Sacramento (#5) also makes the list for beautiful weather and affordability. Raleigh, North Carolina, a best cities list favorite is #8. Boise, Idaho, came in at #4 as a picturesque and quieter place to settle down. And steel-town-turned-tech-city Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, grabbed the #3 spot and was recently voted sixth best area in the US for job growth.
Bottom line, wherever you are in the USA, there are cities that work for young families.
