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No Kids? The 25 Best Cities For DINKS in 2024

March 18, 2024

5 min Read

Written by Josephine Nesbit

Edited by Nicholas Morine

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DINKS, or double income, no kids, is a lifestyle choice that has rapidly grown from year to year. According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of childless households will be near 50% in the coming years, USA Today reported.

Insight published by the Pew Research Center in 2021 also showed that 44% of a sample group of non-parents ages 18 to 49 stated they never want kids, a 7% increase from the same survey taken in 2018, USA Today added.

More Americans Choosing To Go Childfree

According to Business Insider, being a DINK has always been a way to save money — and as the stigma around the choice of being childfree has disappeared, more Americans see being a DINK as the key to the new American dream of financial stability and freedom.

Over the past decade, the cost of raising a child has skyrocketed. Business Insider estimated that in 2024, parents could spend as much as $26,000 to care for one child. That’s an increase of 41.5% since 2016, and the publication noted that costs will likely continue to rise this year — largely thanks to the cost of childcare, transportation and food.

And those who do choose to forgo parenthood have seen the financial advantage.

Net worth data from the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances showed that childfree couples’ median net worth of $399,000 in 2022 was the highest of all types of family structures studied by the survey. That figure was almost $150,000 higher than the median net worth for couples with kids, Business Insider reported. The median net worth of DINKS is also more than $100,000 higher than it was in 2019.

Today's Top Offers

The DINK population is expected to steadily increase over the coming years. HubScore.co released a report listing the best places for DINK couples to live in during 2024. Here are the top 25, but you can find the full report here.

1. Minnesota: No. 2 for couples quality of life, No. 14 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 7 for cultural diversity and access to support.
2. Maine: No. 23 for couples quality of life, No. 7 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 11 for cultural diversity and access to support.
3. Colorado: No. 36 for couples quality of life, No. 18 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 1 for cultural diversity and access to support.
4. Washington: No. 38 for couples quality of life, No. 19 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 2 for cultural diversity and access to support.
5. Montana: No. 45 for couples quality of life, No. 1 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 21 for cultural diversity and access to support.
6. Vermont: No. 39 for couples quality of life, No. 5 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 17 for cultural diversity and access to support.
7. Wyoming: No. 1 for couples quality of life, No. 9 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 29 for cultural diversity and access to support.
8. Alaska: No. 43 for couples quality of life, No. 2 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 22 for cultural diversity and access to support.
9. Illinois: No. 32 for couples quality of life, No. 26 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 4 for cultural diversity and access to support.
10. Massachusetts: No. 40 for couples quality of life, No. 13 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 9 for cultural diversity and access to support.
11. Utah: No. 11 for couples quality of life, No. 37 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 10 for cultural diversity and access to support.
12. Connecticut: No. 29 for couples quality of life, No. 17 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 12 for cultural diversity and access to support.
13. North Dakota: No. 3 for couples quality of life, No. 6 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 30 for cultural diversity and access to support.
14. South Dakota: No. 4 for couples quality of life, No. 3 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 38 for cultural diversity and access to support.
15. Maryland: No. 15 for couples quality of life, No. 34 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 8 for cultural diversity and access to support.
16. Virginia: No. 6 for couples quality of life, No. 33 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 15 for cultural diversity and access to support.
17. Rhode Island: No. 27 for couples quality of life, No. 16 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 16 for cultural diversity and access to support.
18. Nebraska: No. 9 for couples quality of life, No. 15 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 23 for cultural diversity and access to support.
19. Delaware: No. 20 for couples quality of life, No. 29 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 13 for cultural diversity and access to support.
20. Oregon: No. 48 for couples quality of life, No. 12 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 6 for cultural diversity and access to support.
21. Iowa: No. 7 for couples quality of life, No. 11 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 28 for cultural diversity and access to support.
22. Wisconsin: No. 13 for couples quality of life, No. 4 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 37 for cultural diversity and access to support.
23. New Mexico: No. 42 for couples quality of life, No. 45 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 3 for cultural diversity and access to support.
24. New Jersey: No. 31 for couples quality of life, No. 23 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 20 for cultural diversity and access to support.
25. New Hampshire: No. 16 for couples quality of life, No. 10 for couples access to entertainment and recreation, No. 26 for cultural diversity and access to support.