Is Idaho One of the Best or Worst Places to Raise a Family?

Not sure if it can get much worse than being raised in a place known as ‘Drunk Town, USA.’ I grew up not knowing that there was anything strange about judging a good year or bad year by how many people died on the train tracks. Not sure my parents considered that before moving to Gallup, NM in 1979.

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Parents have to weigh many pros and cons when considering where to live and raise a family. After judging whether or not it is viable to move at all, how do you weigh where to move? What kind of parameters do you set to judge what is a good place and what is a bad place for your future family?

How to Find the Best State for You to Raise Your Family

Experts advise visiting a state first. What looks good on paper may not feel right when you dive deeper, or vice versa. Make sure you have the priorities in order. If a place hits the biggest on the list, the smaller stuff may not matter as much. Think about how kids will spend recreation time, not everywhere has opportunities to stay out of trouble for kids. Talk with other people who live in the area you are thinking of moving to. Get honest answers. Do your homework on the numbers as well.

What are the Best and Worst States to Raise a Family in 2024

Luckily, WalletHub has taken care of some of the information collection. The types of things they decided to take into account were: family fun, health and safety, education and child care, affordability, and socioeconomics.

Not surprisingly, Idaho managed to stay out of the top 10, or bottom 10. Idaho ranking 38th overall means that people may leave Idaho alone altogether. We are neither a place to be admired nor despised. We rank 16th in health and safety and 12th in socioeconomics, it just isn’t enough to make up for our poor showing of education and affordability. Idaho couldn't even beat itself. We dropped a few notches from ranking 35th in 2023.