Georgia among 10 worst states to raise a family, according to new WalletHub study

The good news? Georgia moved up on WalletHub's annual ranking of the best states to raise a family.

The bad news? Georgia is still among the 10 worst, climbing from No. 42 in 2018 to No. 41 for 2019. The Peach State earned the No. 44 spot on the personal finance website’s 2017 ranking, so it continues to improve.

To determine the best and worst states to raise a family, WalletHub compared all 50 states in five categories: family fun, health and safety, education and child care, affordability, and socioeconomics.

Those categories were evaluated using 49 weighted metrics, ranging  “from median family salary to housing affordability to unemployment rate.” Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale.

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Georgia’s lowest ranking was in education and child care, landing at No. 46. The state’s highest rank — 22 — was in the family fun category.

"Within every state, there are many individuals and families who thrive," Erica Jordan, clinical assistant professor and graduate teaching assistant coordinator at the University of Houston, said in a statement to WalletHub. "However, when you take a closer look (such as by ZIP code), it is clear that some children start off with more advantages than others. Children who have safe and affordable housing, robust and reliable economic opportunities for their parents, low rates of crime, and quality healthcare and education (including high-quality early childhood education) often have advantages."

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How Georgia fared

• Overall score: 40.84
• Overal rank: 41
• Family fun: 22
• Health and safety: 44
• Education and child care: 46
• Affordability: 35
• Socio-economics: 42

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If these numbers make you think of moving, you might consider Minnesota. Ranked second last year, Minnesota took over the top spot from Massachusetts for 2019.

The 10 best states, according to WalletHub

1. Minnesota
2. Massachusetts
3. North Dakota
4. Vermont
5. New Hampshire
6. New York
7. Wisconsin
8. New Jersey
9. Rhode Island
10. Nebraska

Southern states made up the majority of the lower ranks, with only Virginia (No. 20) breaking in to the top half.