Study: New Jersey ranks 7th best state to raise a family, as more residents leave state than any other

New Jersey has ranked seventh on WalletHub’s 2021’s Best & Worst States to Raise a Family, as more New Jersey residents are leaving the state than any other.

News 12 Staff

Jan 14, 2021, 2:05 PM

Updated 1,332 days ago

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New Jersey has ranked seventh on WalletHub’s 2021’s Best & Worst States to Raise a Family, as more New Jersey residents are leaving the state than any other.
According to the list, the Garden State ranked first in both education and child care, as well as affordability, but ranked 18th in family fun and 26th in health and safety.
But the study comes as more New Jersey residents are leaving the state than any other, according to the 2020 National Migration Study by United Van Lines, the nation's largest household goods mover. The study reported 70% of people who moved last year left the state entirely, more than any other.
New Jersey also ranked dead last when it came to highways in the U.S, finishing last in 2015 and 2016 as well, according to a report from the Libertarian Reason Foundation comparing cost versus quality.
The report found the Garden State to be last in maintenance per mile and 45th in highway pavement conditions in urban areas, even though the state has one of the shortest highway systems in the U.S.
WalletHub compared the 50 states across 52 key indicators of family friendliness, setting ranges from the median annual family income to housing affordability to the unemployment rate.
Massachusetts was ranked first, followed by Minnesota and North Dakota.
New Mexico was ranked last.