Why Georgia ranks among worst states for raising a family in new report

Georgia ranks among the worst states in the nation for raising a family, according to a new report.

The rankings from personal finance website WalletHub put the Peach State at No. 42 on its list of “best states for family.”

So why didn’t Georgia fare well? Here’s a deeper look at what the report found.

WalletHub compared all 50 states across 50 indicators of family friendliness. Those include family fun, health and safety, education and child care, affordability and socioeconomics.

Georgia made out best on the categories of family fun and affordability (No. 29 and 35 in the nation in those categories). While it earned its worst marks in health and safety (No. 45 overall).

“Raising a healthy, stable family sometimes requires moving to a new state,” the report’s author writes. “But wants and needs don’t always align in a particular state. For instance, a state might offer a low income-tax rate but have a subpar education system.”

The report also considered things like median family income, a state’s paid family leave, housing affordability, child care costs, pediatricians per capita and the share of families with young children.

Here’s how Georgia scored:

Overall rank: 42
Family fun rank: 29
Health and safety rank: 45
Education and child care rank: 43
Affordability rank: 35
Socioeconomics rank: 42
Total score: 39.42

Here are the best states for raising a family, according to the report: Minnesota, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Vermont and New Hampshire.

Georgia is joined in the lowest-ranking states by: South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico.