Best and Worst States for Single Parents to Raise a Family

The number of single-parent households has been on the rise in the U.S. for the past 50 years. The percentage of children under age 18 who live with a single mother has jumped from 8 percent in 1960 to 23 percent in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And now 4 percent of kids live with a single father, up from 1 percent in 1960.

There are many challenges of being a single parent. One of the biggest, though, might be financial issues moms and dads raising kids on their own face. A study by Pew Research Center found that single parents are more likely than married parents to say they don’t have enough money to meet their basic expenses.

Certainly, where single parents live can have a big impact on how far their money goes. That’s why GOBankingRates set out to find which states are better for them financially. We looked at eight factors that are important to single parents:

• Each state’s median household income
• Average home listing price
• Average cost of groceries for a family
• Average employee contribution amount for employer-sponsored family health insurance
• Annual child care costs for an infant and 4-year-old
• Whether the state offers a paid family leave program
• Whether the state offers an earned-income tax credit on top of the federal credit
• Whether the state has adopted the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act

Income and home price received double the weight of other factors because they play a more important role in people’s ability to have a good quality of life. If you’re a single parent, click through to find out how much cost of living affects your life.

Florida is the worst state for single parents for several reasons. For starters, it’s not a cheap place to live. Florida has 10th-highest average home list price in our rankings, which could make owning a home difficult for a single parent. What makes matters worse is that Florida’s median household income of $47,507 is lower than in most states.

The state’s lack of assistance for low-income residents may make it especially tough for low-income single parents to raise a family. Florida is one of 19 states that has not yet expanded Medicaid to give more low-income families access to health coverage. And it offers no state earned-income tax credit on top of the federal credit to benefit low-income taxpayers. Plus, Florida doesn’t have a state law guaranteeing that workers will continue to get paid a share of their wages if they have to leave work to care for family members.

Given that Mississippi has the lowest median household income in the nation, it might be especially tough for single parents to raise a family on just one income. Plus, the state doesn’t offer any of the single-parent support systems GOBankingRates considered for our rankings: no law guaranteeing paid family leave, no state earned-income tax credit and no expanded Medicare. And workers with employer-sponsored health insurance have to pay a high price for it. Mississippi has the eighth-highest employee contribution amount for family health coverage on our list.

However, the cost of living is low in Mississippi. It has the second-lowest annual child care costs in the nation. And home prices and grocery costs here are among the lowest in the U.S.

Although Alabama has the fourth-lowest median household income in the U.S., home prices are also low. And it has the third-lowest annual child care costs on our list.

Despite its low cost of living, Alabama has several strikes against it for single parents. It has the fourth-highest health premium for family health coverage. And the state hasn’t expanded Medicaid for low-income families. Nor does Alabama offer an earned-income tax credit on top of the federal credit or a law guaranteeing paid family leave.

South Carolina doesn’t offer any of the single-parent support systems that GOBankingRates considered for our rankings. It hasn’t expanded Medicaid yet, doesn’t offer a state earned-income tax credit or have a law guaranteeing paid family leave. Plus, it has the ninth-lowest median household income in the U.S.

However, there is one positive for single parents in South Carolina. Child care costs here are the seventh-lowest in the nation.

North Carolina is pulled down in the rankings because it has the 10th-lowest median household income in the U.S. On top of that, the average home list price is higher here than in about half of all states. Also, North Carolina doesn’t offer a state earned-income tax credit, have a law guaranteeing paid family leave and hasn’t expanded Medicaid to give more low-income families access to health coverage.

On the plus side for single parents, child care costs are lower in North Carolina than in more than half of the states. And the average amount employees have to contribute toward employer-sponsored health insurance is lower here than in more than half of the states.

For single parents, Idaho is one of the worst places to raise kids because the median household income of $47,583 is lower than national median household income of $53,889. Yet, the average home list price is higher here than in most states. And the average amount employees have to contribute for family health coverage is higher in Idaho than in half of the states. On top of that, the state doesn’t offer an earned-income tax credit for low-income taxpayers, hasn’t expanded Medicaid and doesn’t have a law guaranteeing paid family leave.

However, some costs are low in this state, which may be a plus for single parents. Idaho has the lowest grocery costs in the nation. And its annual child care costs are among the lowest in the U.S.

Related: Why I decided to Move States Before Starting My Family

After Idaho, Texas has the second-lowest grocery costs on our list. And child care costs are lower here than in most states. But one of the biggest costs a single parent has to shoulder — housing — is higher here than in most states. And Texas has the seventh-highest average employee contribution amount for family health coverage in the U.S.

The state’s median household income is just below the national median, but the fact that Texas doesn’t offer any of the support systems our study considered — a state earned-income tax credit, expanded Medicaid and a law guaranteeing paid family leave — drag it down in our rankings.

Single parents in Georgia can benefit from child care costs that are 10th-lowest in the nation and an average employee contribution for family health insurance that’s lower than in most states. However, they may still find themselves trying to survive paycheck to paycheck because the median household income of $49,620 is below the national median.

Georgia doesn’t offer an earned-income tax credit to help low-income taxpayers. And it hasn’t expanded Medicaid to help more low-income families get health coverage. Georgia also doesn’t have a law that provides paid time-off for family leave.

Tennessee’s low cost of living is a plus for single parents. Grocery and child care costs are lower here than in most states. And the average home list price is lower than in more than half of the states. In fact, Nashville is one of the cities with the hottest housing prices.

However, its median household income of $45,219 is the eighth-lowest in the U.S. Tennessee doesn’t offer an earned-income tax credit to help low-income taxpayers. It has yet to expand Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act. And Tennessee doesn’t have a law guaranteeing paid family leave.

For single parents, South Dakota is one of the worst states to raise a family because the median household income of $50,957 is below the national median. South Dakota also lacks its own version of the earned-income tax credit, hasn’t expanded Medicaid yet and doesn’t have a paid family leave law. Plus, the amount employees have to contribute for family health insurance is higher here than in most states.

However, child care costs in South Dakota are eighth-lowest in the nation. And the average home list price is lower here than in more than half of the states.

On the plus side for single parents in Utah, the median household income of $60,727 is significantly higher than the national median. However, Utah’s average home list price of $456,208 is the seventh-highest in our rankings, which could make home ownership difficult for single parents.

Utah also is dragged down in the rankings because it doesn’t offer a state earned-income tax credit for low-income taxpayers. It hasn’t adopted the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act to expand coverage to more low-income families. And Utah doesn’t a paid family leave law.

Although Hawaii has the fifth-highest median household income in the U.S., single parents may live paycheck to paycheck because the cost of living is so high here. The average home list price of $898,596 is higher than any other state by more than $200,000. Hawaii also has the highest grocery costs — almost double what a family would pay in Idaho, where costs are lowest.

Although it has approved Medicaid expansion, Hawaii doesn’t have a state paid family leave law or an earned-income tax credit for low-income taxpayers. But it does have the lowest annual child care cost of any state.

In a separate GOBankingRates study, Wyoming ranked as one of the best states for families to live a richer life. However, there are things it lacks that would benefit single parents. Not only does it not have an earned-income tax credit, but Wyoming has not expanded Medicaid to cover more low-income families. The state also lacks a paid family leave law.

Child care costs also are higher in Wyoming than in half of all states. And the average employee contribution for employer-sponsored family health insurance is higher than in most states.

Missouri has lower child care costs than in most states. And the costs employees shoulder for family health insurance are the ninth-lowest on our list.

But these low costs are outweighed by Missouri’s median household income of $48,173, which is the 15th-lowest in the U.S. Plus, Missouri doesn’t offer any of the support systems our study considered: a state earned-income tax credit, expanded Medicaid or a law guaranteeing paid family leave.

A low median household income and high insurance costs are big strikes against Oklahoma for single parents. In fact, Oklahoma has the second-highest average health insurance cost in our rankings. The state does offer an earned-income tax credit but it cut the credit by 70 percent in 2016. It also hasn’t expanded Medicaid or implemented a paid family leave law.

Fortunately for single parents in Oklahoma, the cost of living is low. Home prices, grocery costs and child care expenses here are among the lowest in the nation.

Arizona isn’t an ideal state for single-parent households due to a combination of high costs and a lower median household income of $50,255. Child care costs and the average employee contribution for family health insurance are higher here than in half of the states. And the average home list price of $317,788 is higher than in more than half of the states.

Arizona has expanded Medicaid, but low-income families don’t get the benefit of a state earned-income tax credit. Single parents also would be hurt by Arizona’s lack of a paid family leave law.

Child care costs are lower in West Virginia than in most states. And the average home list price is lower than in any other state at just $172,836. But a big problem for single parents is the state’s median household income of just $41,751 — the third-lowest in the U.S.

West Virginia has expanded Medicaid to provide health coverage to more low-income families, but it doesn’t offer a state earned-income tax credit. It also doesn’t have a paid family leave program to help workers who have to take time off to care for family.

Montana’s household income of $47,169 is well below the national median income. However, the average home list price of $320,525 is higher than the average list price in more than half of states — which could make home ownership a challenge for single parents in this state.

Fortunately for single parents, insurance costs shouldered by employees in Montana are among the lowest in the nation. And the state has expanded Medicaid to provide more low-income families with health coverage.

At $49,331, the low median household income in Maine may make it hard for single parents to get by, especially considering that child care costs here don’t rank among the lowest. But the state does offer an earned-income tax credit to help low-income taxpayers.

Maine, however, hasn’t adopted the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Nor does it offer a paid family leave program.

The average amount employees pay for employer-sponsored health insurance in Nebraska is the ninth-highest in the country. Plus, Nebraska hasn’t adopted the Medicaid expansion to provide health coverage to more low-income families. The state doesn’t have a law providing paid family leave, either.

Fortunately for single parents, child care costs in Nebraska are lower than in more than half of states, and the state offers an earned-income tax credit.

Virginia’s median household income of $65,015 is eighth-highest in the nation. However, home prices also are higher here than in most states. The state’s high child care costs and employee contribution amount for family health insurance also prevent it from being one of the best places to raise a family for single parents.

On top of that, Virginia doesn’t have a paid family leave program and hasn’t expanded its Medicaid coverage. It does give an earned-income tax credit, but at a lesser rate than other states.

Single parents can benefit from the low cost of living in Arkansas. The average employee contribution for family health insurance is lower in Arkansas than in most states. It has the fourth-lowest grocery cost in our rankings, fifth-lowest child care cost and fifth-lowest average home listing price. In Arkansas you can buy a lot of house for not very much money.

However, Arkansas isn’t one of the best states to raise a family for single parents because the median household income of $41,371 is the second-lowest in the nation. It doesn’t offer an earned-income tax credit to help low-income taxpayers or have a paid family leave program. But it is one of the 31 states that has expanded Medicaid.

There are plenty of reasons Kansas isn’t one of the best states for single-parent households. The cost of child care is higher here than in more than half of the states. Employee health insurance costs are higher in Kansas than in most states. And the median household income is lower than the national median.

Kansas also lacks expanded Medicaid and a paid family leave law. But it does offer an earned-income tax credit.

Single parents may find it hard to make ends meet in this state where the household income is below the national median but child care costs and home prices are higher than in more than half of all states. Plus, Nevada lacks an earned-income tax credit and paid family leave program.

However, Nevada has expanded its Medicaid program. And the employee contribution amount for employer-sponsored family health insurance is the sixth-lowest in the U.S.

Wisconsin certainly isn’t the worst place for single parents because the average home listing price and employee contribution for family health coverage are lower here than in more than half of the states. But it’s still far from the best.

The median household income is just below the national median, but child care costs are 15th-highest in the country. Although Wisconsin offers an earned-income tax credit, it hasn’t expanded Medicaid and doesn’t have a law providing paid family leave.

What prevents North Dakota from ranking higher on the list for the best place for single parents to raise a family is the average employee contribution cost for family health insurance, which is the 10th-highest on our list. It also doesn’t offer an earned-income tax credit or paid family leave.

However, it’s not the worst state for families because child care costs and home prices are lower here than in more than half of all states. The median household income of $57,181 is higher than the national median, And North Dakota is one of 31 states that has expanded its income eligibility for Medicaid.

The cost of living is low in Kentucky, which is a plus for single parents. It has the third-lowest grocery costs, fifth-lowest employee contribution amount for family health insurance, sixth-lowest child care costs, and an average home listing price that’s lower than the national average.

But the state’s median household income of $43,740 — the fifth-lowest in the nation — pulls it down in the rankings. Kentucky doesn’t offer an earned-income tax credit or a paid family leave program. It has expanded its Medicaid eligibility, but the state’s governor has proposed changing the expansion.

New Hampshire’s median household income of $66,779 is the sixth-highest in the nation, But the state’s high cost of living outweighs its high income level.

New Hampshire has the third-highest grocery costs in our rankings. The average home listing price, child care costs and average employee contribution for health insurance are higher here than in more than half of all states. New Hampshire has expanded Medicaid, but it doesn’t offer an earned-income tax credit or paid family leave program.

A high cost of living for families pulls Oregon down in the rankings. It has the eighth-highest average home listing price of $409,270, fourth-highest grocery costs and child care costs that are higher than in half of all states.

The state’s median household income of $51,243 is below the national median, which doesn’t make it any easier for single parents. But low-income families can take advantage of Oregon’s earned-income tax credit and the state has expanded Medicaid.

Pennsylvania’s child care costs are higher than in most states. The median household income here is slightly lower than the national median. And the state doesn’t offer an earned-income tax credit to help low-income families.

But there are a few things that put Pennsylvania in the top half of states for single parents to raise a family. It has the third-lowest employee contribution amount for employer-sponsored family health insurance. The average home listing price is lower here than in most states. And Pennsylvania has expanded its Medicaid eligibility to more low-income families.

Colorado’s median household income of $60,629 is well above the national median. Plus, the state offers an earned-income tax credit for low-income taxpayers and has expanded Medicaid eligibility.

But the state has several strikes against it that keep it from being one of the best places for single parents to raise a family. Colorado has the fifth-highest annual child care cost. It’s one of the few states where the cost of owning a home is higher than renting. The average employee contribution for family health insurance is higher in Colorado than in more than half of the states. And Colorado doesn’t have a law guaranteeing paid family leave.

The median household income of $68,563 in Massachusetts is the sixth-highest in the nation. However, a high income is necessary to cover the high cost of living here. Massachusetts has the highest annual child care costs in the U.S. — $34,318 — and the third-highest average home listing price.

But Massachusetts has expanded its Medicaid eligibility and offers an earned-income tax credit at the state level. Plus, employees with employer-sponsored health insurance pay less for their coverage than employees in most states.

Single parents have to shell out less for child care in Louisiana than parents in most states. And the average home listing price is lower than in more than half of all states. Louisiana also has expanded its Medicaid eligibility and offers an earned-income tax credit for low-income families.

But Louisiana isn’t one of the best states to raise a family because it has the third-highest employee contribution amount for family health coverage. The median household income is the seventh-lowest in the nation. And there’s no state law guaranteeing paid family leave.

One of the benefits of raising kids in Alaska is the state’s median household income of $72,515 — the second highest in the nation. Plus, the average home listing price is lower here than in half of all states.

But Alaska has the second-highest grocery costs in our rankings. And child care costs are higher than in most states. Alaska has expanded its Medicaid eligibility, but it doesn’t offer an earned-income tax credit for low-income taxpayers or a paid family leave program.

Vermont has two of the three support systems GOBankingRates considered for our study: expanded Medicaid eligibility and a state earned-income tax credit. Plus, the median household income of $55,176 is higher than the national median.

But the high cost of living here pulls Vermont down in our rankings. The average home listing price is higher than in more than half of the states. Both child care costs and the average employee contribution amount for family health coverage also are higher than in most states.

New Mexico has the sixth-lowest median household income in the nation. But low-income families can benefit from the state’s earned-income tax credit and its expanded Medicaid eligibility.

New Mexico’s low cost of living also is a plus for single parents. The average home listing price is lower here than in more than half of the states — as is the average employee contribution for family health insurance. And average annual child care costs in New Mexico are lower than in most states.

Connecticut is one of the better states for single parents to raise a family thanks to its high median household income of $70,331. The state also has expanded its Medicaid eligibility and offers an earned-income tax credit.

But the high cost of living here could make it difficult for some single parents. Connecticut has the second-highest child care costs in our rankings, fifth-highest employee contribution amount for family health insurance and sixth-highest average home listing price at $473,373.

Minnesota has adopted Medicaid expansion and offers an earned-income tax credit — two pluses for single parents. Plus, the state’s median household income of $61,492 is higher than the national median.

However, Minnesota has the second-highest child care costs in the nation. Grocery costs here are among the highest in our rankings. And cost employees must bear for employer-sponsored family health coverage are higher in Minnesota than in most states.

New York is one of just five states that has enacted a paid family leave law. Its paid leave insurance program will take effect in 2018. New York also has adopted the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion and offers an earned-income tax credit for low-income taxpayers. New York City is also one of the best cities to score your dream job.

Despite these benefits for single parents, New York isn’t the best state in our rankings because of the high cost of living here. It has both the fourth-highest child care cost and average home listing price on our list. The employee contribution amount for family health insurance is among the highest. And grocery costs are higher here than in most states.

There are a few reasons Maryland is a good place for single parents to raise a family. It has the highest median household income in the U.S. And it offers two of the three support systems GOBankingRates considered for our rankings: expanded Medicaid and an earned-income tax credit.

However, Maryland has the highest employee contribution amount for employer-sponsored family health insurance. It has the sixth highest child care costs in the U.S. Plus, the average home listing price and grocery costs are higher here than in most states.

It might come as a surprise that California is one of the best states for single parents, given its high cost of living. After all, it has the second-highest average home listing price, fifth-highest grocery costs and child care costs that are higher than in most states.

But California has some big perks for single-parent households. The state’s median household income of $61,818 is the ninth-highest in the nation. California employees pay a smaller share of their workplace health insurance costs than employees in half of the states. And the state has adopted Medicaid expansion and offers an earned-income tax credit. Most importantly, it is one of the five states that offers paid family leave.

What makes Delaware one of the best places to raise a family is the state’s high median household income and support systems for low-income families, which include Medicaid expansion and an earned-income tax credit (though at a lower rate than other states). Plus, employees here pay a smaller contribution amount for employer-sponsored family health insurance than in most states.

However, some of the state’s high costs keep it from ranking higher. The average home listing price and child care costs are higher in Delaware than in more than half of all states.

A low cost of living makes Ohio a great place for single parents. It has the second-lowest average home listing price in our rankings, and the second-lowest employee contribution amount for family health insurance. Plus, child care costs are lower here than in half of the states.

However, Ohio’s median household income of $49,429 is below the national median. But Ohio does offer support for low-income families in the form of an earned-income tax credit (though at a lower rate than other states) and Medicaid expansion.

Indiana is a good state for single parents to raise a family because it’s one of the cheapest places to live. It also has adopted Medicaid expansion and offers an earned-income tax credit for low-income taxpayers. On top of that, the average employee contribution amount in Indiana for employer-sponsored family health insurance is among the lowest in the nation.

But the state’s low median household income of $49,255 may hurt single parents. Plus, child care costs here are higher than in most states.

Low grocery costs and affordable homes make Iowa a great place for single parents. In fact, the state has the third-lowest average home listing price in our rankings.

Like many of the other states where the cost of living is low, Iowa has a household income that’s below the national median. But low-income families may benefit from the state’s Medicaid expansion and earned-income tax credit.

Illinois ranks fifth thanks to its relatively affordable homes and a median household income that’s higher than the national median. Plus, employees in the state pay the fourth-lowest contribution amount for employer-sponsored family health coverage in our rankings.

Illinois also has expanded its Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act and offers an earned-income tax credit. But child care costs here are higher than in most states.

Washington is one of the best states to raise a family if you’re a single parent because it offers all three of the single-parent support systems GOBankingRates considered: expanded Medicaid, an earned-income tax credit and a paid family leave program that will take effect in 2019. The median household income of $51,062 is lower than the national median. But single parents can keep more of their take-home pay because there is no state income tax.

Plus, Washington employees contribute a smaller amount for employer-sponsored health insurance than employees in most states. But the cost of groceries and child care and prices of homes are higher here than in most states.

Low costs make Michigan a great place for single parents to raise a family. It has the lowest employee contribution amount for family health coverage of any state. The average home listing price and grocery costs are among the lowest in our rankings. And child care costs are lower here than in half of the states.

However, the state’s median household income of $49,576 is below the national median. But Michigan offers single-parent support in the form of expanded Medicaid and an earned-income tax credit.

Rhode Island is one of the five states that has a paid family leave insurance program — and it’s been in effect since 2014. The state also has expanded its Medicaid eligibility and offers an earned-income tax credit. These factors combined with a median household income that’s higher than the national median make Rhode Island the second best state for single parents.

High child care and grocery costs keep it from being the best. Plus, Rhode Island has the ninth-highest average home listing price. Even though it has higher prices, Rhode Island is the best state for first-time home buyers.

New Jersey lands in the top spot in our rankings due to its high median household income — the third highest in the nation — and the help it provides to single parents. Not only does it offer expanded Medicaid and an earned-income tax credit, but New Jersey has a paid family leave program that’s been in effect since 2009.

The state isn’t perfect, though. Child care costs, the average home listing price and average employee contribution amount for family health coverage are higher here than in most states.

The best states for single parents to raise a family are scattered across the country — clustered in the Midwest, where the cost of living is lower and median wages are higher, but also on the East and West Coasts, where state governments have enacted more single-parent-friendly policies.

There is a tight cluster of states in the Southeast where it’s bad to be a single parent. Low wages and no social safety net make it tough to raise a family in these states.

Methodology: GOBankingRates surveyed all 50 states, analyzing eight data points that served as determining factors in the ranking: (1) median household income, sourced from the Census Bureau in 2015 dollars; (2) median home listing price as of June 2017, sourced from Zillow; (3) food spending, using the grocery index sourced from Missouri Economic Research and Information Center and multiplying it against the average amount spent on food from the BLS consumer spending survey from July 2015-July 2016; (4) employee health insurance premium contribution, sourced from the Commonwealth Fund; (5) annual child care costs for an infant and a 4-year-old, sourced from Child Care Aware of America; (6) whether the state offers paid time-off for family leave; (7) whether the state has expanded the earned-income Tax Credit at the state level; (8) whether the state expanded Medicaid coverage as part of the Affordable Care Act. Median household income and median home listing price were weighted double in our analysis.