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On a best-places-for-families list, Boston got a meh

The city landed the 84th spot, while South Burlington, Vt., made the top 10. Tell us: Is Boston a good place to raise a family?

Six New England cities ranked higher than Boston, which scored high on education and health and safety, but low on affordability and socio-economics. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

By Vivi Smilgius

May 30, 2023

In January, several readers shared that they were looking to relocate, exploring options outside Massachusetts. But what if you have a family?

On WalletHub’s list of the best and worst places to raise a family, Boston ranked 84th out of 182 cities. Here were the top 10:

1. Fremont, Calif.
2. Overland Park, Kan.
3. Irvine, Calif.
4. Plano, Texas
5. South Burlington, Vt.
6. San Diego
7. San Jose, Calif.
8. Scottsdale, Ariz.
9. Gilbert, Ariz.
10. San Francisco

And all of the New England communities that landed on the list:
5. South Burlington, Vt.
19. Warwick, R.I.
22. Portland, Maine
25. Nashua
32. Lewiston, Maine
45. Burlington, Vt.
84. Boston
109. Manchester, N.H.
111. Providence
120. Worcester
167. Bridgeport, Conn.
168. New Haven

Boston received 52.6 of 100 possible points, compared with Fremont, Calif., which posted the highest score (73.7). Cleveland took the lowest slot, with 34.7 points.

To calculate these scores, WalletHub evaluated 182 cities based on five equally-weighted metrics: family fun, health and safety, education and childcare, affordability, and socioeconomics.

If our engagement with readers has made anything clear, it’s that there’s no single opinion on living in Boston. Some readers view the city as an accessible alternative to New York, while others are leaving as fast as they can.

What do you think? Is Boston the best place to raise a family, or should young parents explore other places? Tell us below.

Is Boston a good place to raise a family?

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