(The Center Square) – A personal finance website has ranked Minnesota second-best in the nation for raising families using 100-point scales on 51 indicators in five equally weighted dimensions.
Massachusetts was first, and Mississippi last.
WalletHub researched and determined its rankings, using more than two dozen data sources. The North Star State was fifth in socioeconomics, seventh in affordability, eighth in health and safety, 12th in education and child care, and 13th in family fun. In its scoring, Minnesota tallied 62.07 points; the Bay State checked in at 66.14.
Inside some of the numbers for Minnesota:
• Median credit score, 748, best in the country.
• Median family income, $90,104, adjusted for cost of living, second highest.
• Families living in poverty, 5.6%, second best.
• Life expectancy at birth, 80.4 years, third highest.
• Separation and divorce rate, 17.76%, sixth best.
• Pediatricians per capita, 15.54, ninth highest.
Dr. Melissa Barnett, an associate professor of Family Studies and Human Development at the University of Arizona, says states have “powerful influence” on development in children, and impact on families.
“One of the clearest examples is state approaches to funding and supporting education,” she said in the report. “Starting early in life, access to high-quality affordable early childhood education has significant implications for children’s learning and social development, family well-being, and ultimately community and state economic development.”
