This is the best place in Florida to raise a family, study claims. Here’s why

This week, WalletHub has released its latest list of the best places in the nation to raise a family.

Aside from affordability, the ranking examines factors like entertainment, safety, and education to determine which cities are the best picks for a burgeoning family.

Those factors break down as follows:

• Family Fun — Includes recreational opportunities in the area, including sports facilities, mini golf locations, ideal weather, and walkability
• Health & Safety — Includes air quality, water quality, crime rates, and access to healthy foods
• Education & Child Care — Includes the quality of local schools, graduation rates, child care costs, and summer learning opportunities
• Affordability — Includes the cost of living, housing affordability, and “wallet wellness”
• Socio-Economics — Includes number of two-parent families, divorce rates, families in poverty, and unemployment rates

Nationwide, the three top-ranked cities were Fremont, California (No. 1); Overland Park, Kansas (No. 2); and Plano, Texas (No. 3).

But the Sunshine State, which has struggled with higher costs of living and housing costs in recent years, lagged much farther behind.

The best-ranked city in Florida happened to be Orlando, which scored in the top 10 when it came to “family fun” alone.

Over the past few years, Florida has attracted millions of new residents, which has been a boon for the economy as a whole. The flip side is that it’s also driven up costs for many households in the state.

“Moving can be a sign of opportunity, such as a new job or long-term wealth accumulation, but people may also move because of instability such as foreclosure or job loss,” the study reads. “During this period of significant inflation, many families might consider moving to a place with a relatively low cost of living.”

Regardless, the full ranking of Florida cities is as follows: