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Starting a family is a big decision, one that requires a lot of thought about when and where the best place is to settle down and raise kids. When it comes to choosing where to raise a family and build community, some areas of the country may be better suited for the job, whether it's because of better access to quality education, less crime creating a higher sense of safety, or more family-friendly activities to keep everyone entertained.
WalletHub looked at nearly 200 cities around the country to determine which are the "best places to raise a family" in 2025 and which are the "worst," based on a variety of factors like family fun, education and affordability. Among the list are two cities in Wisconsin, including one that found a place in the Top 25:
- No. 25: Madison
- No. 154: Milwaukee
Madison ranked highest of the Wisconsin locales on the list, earning high marks in the affordability and socio-economic categories. On the other side, Milwaukee is among the "worst" spots to raise a family, though it received high marks in the family fun category.
To determine its rankings, WalletHub compared 182 cities across the U.S., including at least two of the most populated cities in every state, across five factors: family fun, health & safety, education & child care, affordability and socio-economics. These factors were then evaluated using 45 relevant metrics, including playgrounds per capita, walkability, number of attractions, recreation-friendliness, ideal weather, air quality, family homelessness, infant mortality rate, school-system quality, parental-leave policy, child-care costs, cost of living, separation & divorce rate, wealth gap, unemployment rate and more.
Check out the full report at wallethub.com to learn more about the best and worst cities in America to raise a family.