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 we decided to put ourselves in the shoes of both parents and their children to determine where the best places to be a kid are across the U.S. Our study 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.

Based on our 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

We’d like to highlight a few other parts of the country that excel 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 plenty of fun things for kids to do. We’ll look at the data a bit closer to see where the standouts are for different factors.

While we’re taking a look at the regions of the U.S. that stand out the most when viewed through the lens of young residents, let’s get even more local and explore some cities that kids across the country wouldn’t mind living in.

The Best U.S. Cities for Kids

To zoom in a little further into what makes a locale great for young people, we analyzed four major factors that contribute to creating kid-friendly environments. These include the percentage of the population aged 14 and younger, the availability of libraries and archives, toy stores, and candy stores per 100K kids. Let’s take a closer look at a few cities that are great for kids.

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

What Makes a State Great for Kids?

While we know 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, we dove into what kid-friendly amenities each state has to offer. 

But this study isn’t just about numbers; it’s a celebration of places across the country that prioritize creating environments where kids can thrive, interact with their surroundings, and immerse themselves in a world of learning disguised as play.

ABCmouse knows a thing or two about the importance of the relationship between education and play. Our engaging games and activities make learning fun for kids while offering them opportunities to explore and experiment at their own pace. Happy learning!

Methodology

To determine the best U.S. states to be a kid, we 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 study, 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 used in the study can be found below:

Source: Age of Learning Commissioned Survey