Thanks to scarce housing and a high cost of living, California has gained a reputation as an unwelcoming place for young adults and families. And yet, a Northern California city has just been named the most family friendly place in America by WalletHub.
Fremont took the #1 spot on WalletHub’s list of the Best Places to Raise a Family in 2023, followed by Overland Park, Kansas. Another California city – Irvine – ranked #3.
WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities across five key dimensions: 1) Family Fun 2) Health & Safety 3) Education & Child Care 4) Affordability and 5) Socio-economics. The most heavily-weighted metrics were housing affordability, wallet friendliness, cost of living, quality of education and weather. The researchers also considered factors like walkability, child care services, and playgrounds per capita.
The Most Family Friendly Cities in California
1. Fremont
Score: 73.71
National Rank: 1
2. Irvine
Score: 69.78
National Rank: 3
3. San Jose
Score: 64.90
National Rank: 7
4. San Francisco
Score: 64.45
National Rank: 10
5. Huntington Beach
Score: 63.21
National Rank: 14
6. Rancho Cucamonga
Score: 59.04
National Rank: 35
7. Santa Rosa
Score: 58.60
National Rank: 36
8. Sacramento
Score: 58.31
National Rank: 38
9. Chula Vista
Score: 56.94
National Rank: 46
10. Santa Clarita
Score: 56.58
National Rank: 48
See full rankings and methodology here.
List and data were compiled by WalletHub and do not reflect statistics on all cities.