Fremont, Calif., is the best place to raise a family in 2025, according to a new WalletHub report.
The city has the third-lowest percentage of families living in poverty and one of the highest median family incomes, adjusted for cost of living, the May 27 report found. Nearly half of families in Fremont have children under 18, and more than half of the city’s public schools are rated a 7 out of 10 or higher.
To conduct the ranking, WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities across five areas: family fun, health and safety, education and child care, affordability, and socioeconomics. The cities included the 150 most populated in the U.S., as well as at least two of the most populated in each state.
Cities were evaluated using 45 metrics, and each metric was graded on a 100-point scale.
Here are the 10 best and worst U.S. cities to raise a family in 2025, along with their total score:
Best
1. Fremont, Calif. — 75.53
2. Overland Park, Kan. — 71.66
3. Plano, Texas — 68.55
4. Irvine, Calif. — 68.50
5. South Burlington, Vt. — 65.07
6. Seattle — 64.93
7. Boise, Idaho — 64.86
8. Gilbert, Ariz. — 64.69
9. Bismarck, N.D. — 64.57
10. San Diego, Calif. — 64.39
Worst
1. Memphis, Tenn. — 34.07
2. Detroit, Mich. — 34.10
3. Cleveland, Ohio — 34.89
4. Gulfport, Miss. — 37.67
5. Newark, N.J. — 38.07
6. Birmingham, Ala. — 38.23
7. Baltimore, Md. — 39.06
8. San Bernandino, Calif. — 39.26
9. Jackson, Miss. — 39.57
10. Hialeah, Fla. — 39.78
