The Best U.S. States To Be a Kid

If you were to ask a child what’s most important to them in a place to live, you would probably get answers about being near toy stores or pizza places. If you asked their parents, you might hear more about living closer to libraries and museums. As educators, we know how important striking the right balance between play and education can be.

That’s why Age of Learning commissioned a survey that takes into consideration the criteria that both parents and children have for determining the best places to live. The survey indexes the states by combining several data points to encompass both the fun and educational parts of growing up. Continue reading to find out the best states to be a kid.

Image source: 2024 Age of Learning Commissioned Survey

Based on the reasoning above, it’s time to take a closer look at the parts of the country where kids can have the most fun while learning all about their surroundings and themselves.

More Great States For Kids

While all states have unique qualities and experiences to offer, there are a few that stand out in different aspects when it comes to being a kid. Some states might give young residents great opportunities to visit educational resources like zoos and children’s museums, while others have a variety of fun activities for kids.

While this data highlights states that may appeal to young residents, the survey results also reflect cities that kids across the country could be happy to call home.

The Best U.S. Cities for Kids

Image source: 2024 Age of Learning Commissioned Survey

To take a closer look at what makes a locale great for young people, the survey focused on four major factors that contribute to creating kid-friendly environments. These include the percentage of the population aged 14 and younger and the availability of libraries and archives, toy stores, and candy stores per 100K kids. Based on those factors, here are a few cities that are great for kids.

These cities all stand out as places that provide kids with great opportunities for learning and play, which helps set the stage for fulfilling and fun childhood experiences.

What Makes a State Great for Kids?

While there is no one answer to this question, we quantified it the best we could by analyzing several factors that would be important for kids on a day-to-day basis. From the percentage of kids within its borders and pet ownership rates to the number of libraries, children’s museums, toy stores, and candy shops per kid, the survey dove into what kid-friendly amenities each state has to offer. 

But this survey isn’t just about numbers; it’s a celebration of places across the country that create environments where kids can thrive. These areas have a greater number of young people and plenty of opportunities for them to learn and engage with places and activities designed with them in mind.

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Methodology

To determine the best U.S. states to be a kid, we commissioned a survey that evaluated all 50 states on 14 criteria that a kid would likely consider if they were deciding where to live. 

We assigned weights to each factor depending on how important it would be for a kid. Based on those weights, the individual factors were given scores from 0 to 5 and summed to reach a total score of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most ideal conditions. All instances where data was unavailable for a state were marked with zeros.

To add another layer to the research, we also pulled city-level data on specific factors to see where the kid capitals of the U.S. would be located.

A full list of factors that were considered can be found below:

Source: Age of Learning Commissioned Survey