Best Cities for Families

Strong schools, low crime, affordable homes and family-friendly commutes.

Retirees Remote Workers Families Young Professionals Affordability All Rankings →

How We Score

Each metric is normalized 0-100 across U.S. cities, then weighted and summed. Cities missing any metric are excluded.

Schools · 25% Safety · 20% Home Affordability · 15% Low Poverty · 10% Jobs · 10% Short Commute · 10% Education · 10%

Top 12 Families Cities

Ranked by composite score across 7 weighted metrics.

#1
Score 88.8
Los Alamos, NM
13,471 residents
Schools 7.3
Safety 56/100K
Home Affordability $458,200
#2
Score 88.7
Whitefish Bay, WI
14,750 residents
Schools 7.4
Safety 14/100K
Home Affordability $498,700
#3
Score 88.6
Fox Point, WI
6,746 residents
Schools 7.4
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $414,900
#4
Score 88.3
Upper Arlington, OH
36,319 residents
Schools 7.3
Safety 31/100K
Home Affordability $568,200
#5
Score 88
Shorewood, WI
13,682 residents
Schools 7.4
Safety 22/100K
Home Affordability $423,600
#6
Score 87.7
Powell, OH
14,229 residents
Schools 7.3
Safety 21/100K
Home Affordability $493,500
#7
Score 87.3
Westfield, IN
51,109 residents
Schools 7.6
Safety 44/100K
Home Affordability $391,900
#8
Score 87.1
Cedarburg, WI
12,317 residents
Schools 7.4
Safety 47/100K
Home Affordability $386,400
#9
Score 87
Elm Grove, WI
6,428 residents
Schools 7.1
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $468,000
#10
Score 86.8
Prairie Village, KS
22,937 residents
Schools 7.0
Safety 61/100K
Home Affordability $402,600
#11
Score 86.7
Worthington, OH
14,754 residents
Schools 7.3
Safety 167/100K
Home Affordability $417,700
#12
Score 86.5
Wauwatosa, WI
47,718 residents
Schools 7.1
Safety 224/100K
Home Affordability $307,600

Full Ranking

Top 50 cities. Click any city to see its full profile.

1 Los Alamos NM 88.8
2 Whitefish Bay WI 88.7
3 Fox Point WI 88.6
4 Upper Arlington OH 88.3
5 Shorewood WI 88
6 Powell OH 87.7
7 Westfield IN 87.3
8 Cedarburg WI 87.1
9 Elm Grove WI 87
10 Prairie Village KS 86.8
11 Worthington OH 86.7
12 Wauwatosa WI 86.5
13 Dublin OH 86.4
14 Port Washington WI 86.3
15 Hilliard OH 86.3
16 Minnetonka MN 86.2
17 Sharon MA 86.1
18 Mason OH 86.1
19 Brookfield WI 86.1
20 Grafton WI 86
21 Springboro OH 86
22 Johns Creek GA 85.9
23 Leawood KS 85.8
24 Noblesville IN 85.8
25 Brownsburg IN 85.8
26 Golden Valley MN 85.5
27 Glendale WI 85.5
28 Conshohocken PA 85.5
29 State College PA 85.4
30 Menomonee Falls WI 85.4
31 Sheridan WY 85.4
32 Cicero IN 85.3
33 Mequon WI 85.2
34 Overland Park KS 85.1
35 Decorah IA 85
36 Morris Plains NJ 85
37 Whitestown IN 85
38 Ames IA 84.9
39 Somerville NJ 84.9
40 Durham NH 84.8
41 New Ulm MN 84.8
42 Lenexa KS 84.8
43 Bernardsville NJ 84.8
44 Loveland OH 84.6
45 St. Louis Park MN 84.5
46 West Lafayette IN 84.4
47 Brentwood TN 84.4
48 Berlin MD 84.4
49 Alpharetta GA 84.4
50 Downingtown PA 84.3

Los Alamos, NM tops the list with a composite score of 88.8 out of 100, followed by Whitefish Bay and Fox Point. WI dominates the top 12 with 6 cities, reflecting strong performance across the weighted metrics for families.

Rankings combine 7 independent metrics: Schools, Safety, Home Affordability, Low Poverty, Jobs, Short Commute, Education. Cities are weighted to reflect what matters most to families, and any city missing one or more metrics is excluded to avoid artificially inflated rankings.

Browse Families Rankings by State

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Explore Other Best Cities Rankings

Best Cities for Retirees
Low crime, warm climate, affordable cost of living and strong healthcare access.
Best Cities for Remote Workers
Strong broadband, affordable rent, low traffic and existing remote-work culture.
Best Cities for Young Professionals
High incomes, educated peers, transit access and an under-35 demographic.
Most Affordable Cities
The lowest cost of living across home prices, rent, services and rent burden.

Related Single-Metric Rankings

Safest Cities → Most Affordable → Most Educated →