San Diego was ranked the 6th best city in the United States to raise a family, thanks to excellent opportunities for education, child care and family fun.
The study released Tuesday by the personal finance website WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 46 key metrics.
The data set ranged from housing affordability to school-system quality to the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated.
San Diego ranked in the top 10 among cities in the categories of “education & child care” and “family fun,” and in the top 20 for “health & safety,” but came in near the bottom on affordably.
One city in Texas, Plano outside Dallas, ranked higher than San Diego at 4th place, but ranking above that were two California cities, nearby Irvine at 3rd and Fremont at 1st.
The study suggested that while affordability is key in choosing a city for raising a family, other factors are important as well.
“I would put affordable housing and safety at the top of the list but I will also add that opportunities for recreation, good schools, easy access to healthy food, and health care are critical community resources,” said Dr. Allison Karpyn, an associate professor at the University of Delaware, in commenting on the results.
WalletHub said it did the study to give families who need to move “a sense of their options” across the country.