America's best and worst cities for families
America's best and worst cities for families
In a research of most and least friendly cities for families in the US, New York metro area placed as one of the least affordable metro according to Forbes. The calculations were made based on the family incomes and expenses. It appeared families from New York area have hard time to balance their budget and they struggle with their expenses like food, health care, and housing more than families from other metropolitan areas.
Surprisingly, in California where living expenses are one the highest, San Jose and San Francisco placed first and fifth, respectively as ones of the most friendly cities for families. It turned out even though there are relatively high costs of living $54,685 in San Jose, the families earn a median income of $100,000 per year. That's significantly helps maintain a balanced budget where 55% of income the families provide for the essentials and the rest is left over for their pleasures.
Similarly, San Francisco has relatively high house pricing and cost of living but the median annual income of $89,175 helps to balance the resident's budget. Only 68% of the average earned income of the families in the city is spent for the families' essentials and the rest is treated as a disposable income.
Contrarily, two Californian cities Los Angeles and San Diego were placed on the list as one of the worst family friendly cities, seventh and fourth, respectively. It turned out the families in San Diego where the annual income is $67,743 per year don't easily cope with their high cost of living expenses.
Five most friendly cities for families in the US:
- 1. San Jose, CA
- 2. Salt Lake City, UT
- 3. Baltimore, MD
- 4. Detroit, MI
- 5. San Francisco, CA
Five least friendly cities for families in the US:
- 1. Virginia Beach, VA
- 2. Providence, RI
- 3. Las Vegas, NV
- 4. San Diego, CA
- 5. Cleveland, OH
Forbes -6/29/2009