We've often lamented that Illinois too often shows up poorly in lists of good things about states, and ranks very highly on the lists of bad things. When it comes to raising kids, it seems that we're not great, but we're doing pretty well.

The numbers-crunchers at WalletHub have taken a look at all 50 states (and the District of Columbia) to determine which states are the best for raising children. Here's some of their criteria:

WalletHub’s data team compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 40 key indicators of family-friendliness. Our data set ranges from “median family salary” to “housing affordability” to “unemployment rate.”

First, let's look at the top 5 best states for child raising:

  1. North Dakota
  2. New Hampshire
  3. Vermont
  4. Minnesota
  5. Nebraska

Then, the bottom 5:

  • 51. New Mexico
  • 50. Mississippi
  • 49. Washington, DC
  • 48. Louisiana
  • 47. Nevada

As for Illinois, we hit the number 19 spot overall. Here's Illinois' breakdown:

Raising a Family in Illinois (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
13th – % of Families with Kids
28th – Child Care Costs (Adjusted for Median Family Income)
36th – Infant Mortality Rate
4th – Median Family Salary (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
30th – Violent-Crime Rate
26th – % of Families Below Poverty Level
7th – Housing Affordability
38th – Unemployment Rate
10th – Divorce Rate
28th – % of Two-Parent Families

There are some other things, obviously, to consider in raising kids. Things that WalletHub may not have asked people about:

((Warning: some language NSFW))

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