Is Utah a good place to raise a family? Kind of, according to new report

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah ranked middle of the road in a new report looking at the best and worst states to raise a family.

Analysis by WalletHub found that Utah was number 20 on a list of best states for families.

The best state was deemed to be Massachusetts, while New Mexico hit the very bottom of the list.

WalletHub writer and analyst Chip Lupo told Dave & Dujanovic that WalletHub looked at a variety of factors to make its rankings.

Each state was ranked based on its affordability, education and childcare, health and safety, opportunities for family fun and lastly, socioeconomic.

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Within each factor, there were several conditions used to rank the state on a more detailed level. 

Lupo said Utah fell in the middle of the pack due to a mixed performance on a number of factors.

“Utah did finish the top half 20th overall, which is a strong showing and it did particularly well in a number of areas that you might expect.”

For example, Utah had a low rate of separation and divorce and a high rate of two-parent homes.

But the state struggled in other areas, Lupo said.

“Where Utah did not do as well was in the affordability.”

Utah also ranked poorly for housing affordability and had higher rates of mortgage debt.

Despite its mid-level ranking, Utah was found to be a better state to raise a family than most of its neighboring states. 

“Utah actually fared remarkably amongst your neighboring states. Only Colorado ranked higher at 11th. So we’ve got Idaho at 34th, Nevada at 47th, Wyoming at 26th, Arizona at 41st.”

Dave & Dujanovic can be heard on weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon., and even Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m.  

Samantha Herrera is a digital content producer for KSL NewsRadio. Follow her on X.  

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