Providence Ranked Among Worst Cities for Families in U.S.

Kevin Aherne (@KAherne17)

Providence is a great city for food, nightlife, travel, arts, and higher education--but when it comes to raising a family, Rhode Island's capital city ranks among the nation's worst.

In a recent rating by Wallet Hub of the 150 largest American cities, they developed a formula to compare the metropolitan areas in terms of family-friendliness to determine 2014′s Best & Worst Cities for Families.

Of the 150 cities measured, Providence ranked 144th,  leading only Cleveland, Ohio; San Bernadino, California; Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; Miami, Florida; and Detroit, Michigan. Topping the list were Plano, Texas' Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Overland Park, Kansas.  New England cities fared poorly as a group with Boston ranked at 91, and Worcester coming in at 97.

Here is the specific breakdown of Providence's low rankings within Wallet Hub's 5 categories:

• Family Activities & Fun Rank: 12
  
• Health & Safety Rank: 67
  
• Education & Child Care Rank: 147
  
• Affordability Rank: 145
  
• Socio-Economic Environment Rank: 145
  

Wallet Hub's Methodology 
Using a set of 31 defined metrics in the categories of 1) Family Activities & Fun; 2) Health & Safety; 3) Education & Child Care; 4) Affordability; and 5) Socio-Economic Environment, Wallet Hub rated the 150 largest U.S. cities to determine what they hope will enable families to make more informed choices if and when they are presented with an option to relocate to a new city.

Family Activities & Fun 

1. Playgrounds per Capita:  1
2. Ice Rinks per Capita:  0.5
3. Skate Parks per Capita:  0.5
4. Acres of Parkland per Capita: 0.5
5. Number of Attractions (e.g. zoos, museums, theatres):  1
6. Percentage of Families with Children Under 18:  1
7. Average Commute Time:  1 

Health & Safety 

1. Air Quality:  1
2. Water Quality:  1
3. Number of Pediatricians Per Capita:  1
4. Child Medicare & CHIP Participation Rate:  1
5. Violent Crime Rate per Capita:  1
6. Property Crime Rate per Capita:  1

Education & Child Care

1. School System Rankings:  1
2. High School Graduation Rate:  1
3. Day Care Quality Rankings:  1
4. Child Care Costs, Adjusted for Median Family Income:  1
5. Parental Leave Policy Score:  0.5

Affordability

1. Median Annual Family Income / Housing Costs (accounts for both rent and house prices):  1
2. Median Family Annual Income/Cost of Living Index:  1
3. Best & Worst Cities for Wallet Wellness Ranking:  1

 
Socio-Economic Environment

1. Separation & Divorce Rate:  1
2. Percentage of Two-Parent Families:  1
3. Percentage of Families Below Poverty Line:  1
4. Percentage of Households Receiving Food Stamps:  1
5. Unemployment Rate:  1
6. Wealth Gap:  1
7. Foreclosure Rate:  1
8. Social Ties Ranking:  1
9. Job Growth:  1
10. Property Value Growth Rate:  1

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