What types of qualities make a city good for children? If you are planning a family or already have kids, then you know wherever you live has to be a good choice for both you and your kids. Living in a safe and clean location may be the most important. You also want to be sure the education systems in place in that city are right for your children.
Attractions, zoos, community, play grounds, food and culture all play a role in picking the right place to raise a family. Maybe you want to be sure your city includes a great farmers market, or maybe you place more importance on outdoor parks, good hiking and biking trails. If you don’t own a car, then a city with great transit options and walkability is a must. It is also nice to find a community that has families and children like you.
This map from the team at AAA State of Play Playgrounds is a great guide to which US cities have the most children living there. From the data on the map you can clearly see that California and Texas both have a large number of children 18 and under living there. On the East coast it appears that most of the cities have a lower percentage of children living there.
The 10 U.S. Cities With the Most Children are listed below:
- Laredo, TX: 33.0%
- Victorville, CA: 31.7%
- Santa Maria, CA: 31.5%
- Salinas, CA: 31.0%
- West Valley City, UT: 30.8%
- Edinburg, TX: 30.7%
- Frisco, TX: 30.5%
- West Jordan, UT: 30.5%
- Brownsville, TX: 30.4%
- Killeen, TX: 30.3%
The 10 U.S. Cities With the Least Children are listed below:
- San Francisco, CA: 13.4%
- Quincy, MA: 14.6%
- Seattle, WA: 15.0%
- Pittsburgh, PA: 15.1%
- Scottsdale, AZ: 15.5%
- Daly City, CA: 15.7%
- Boston, MA: 15.9%
- Columbia, SC: 16.2%
- Madison, WI: 16.3%
- Tallahassee, FL, and Charleston, SC (tie): 16.7%]
