With National Single Parent Day to be celebrated on March 21, Women’s History Month in full swing and single-mom families making up a quarter of all U.S. households today, the personal finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s Best & Worst Cities for Single Moms.
With the average annual income for single moms totaling $24,403, not even a third of the $84,541 for families headed by married parents, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 150 largest cities across 17 key metrics to find the most suitable cities for single moms and their families. Our data set ranges from “median annual income for single moms” to “housing affordability for single moms” to “access to adequate child care”.
| Best Cities for Single Moms | |||||
| 1 | Scottsdale, AZ | 11 | Plano, TX | ||
| 2 | Madison, WI | 12 | Des Moines, IA | ||
| 3 | Fremont, CA | 13 | Omaha, NE | ||
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | 14 | Raleigh, NC | ||
| 5 | Seattle, WA | 15 | Orlando, FL | ||
| 6 | Pembroke Pines, FL | 16 | Huntington Beach, CA | ||
| 7 | Irvine, CA | 17 | Gilbert, AZ | ||
| 8 | Honolulu, HI | 18 | Little Rock, AR | ||
| 9 | Sioux Falls, SD | 19 | Tacoma, WA | ||
| 10 | Overland Park, KS | 20 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | ||
single Comparing the Best & Worst
- Gilbert, Ariz., has the highest median annual income for single moms (adjusted for cost of living), $46,856, which is four times higher than in New York, the city with the lowest, $12,698.
- San Francisco has the highest cost of a babysitter, $18.50, which is two times more expensive than in Fort Wayne, Ind., the city with the lowest, $12.50.
- Brownsville, Tex., has the highest percentage of single moms with underaged children living below poverty level, 61.2 percent, which is four times higher than in Pembroke Pines, Fla., the city with the lowest, 14.6 percent.
- Irvine, Calif., has the highest percentage of single moms with at least a bachelor’s degree, 53.84 percent, which is seven times higher than in Cleveland, Ohio, the city with the lowest, 7.54 percent.
- Brownsville, Tex., has the highest percentage of single moms lacking health-insurance coverage, 33.67 percent, which is 12 times higher than in Worcester, Mass., the city with the lowest, 2.84 percent.
- Lexington-Fayette, Ky., has the highest number of childcare workers per 1,000 children aged 13 and younger, 19.93, which is six times higher than in Las Vegas, the city with the lowest, 3.34.
- St. Louis, Mo., has the highest number of child- and day-care establishments per 1,000 children aged 13 and younger, 6.69, which is 16 times more than in North Las Vegas, Nev., the city with the lowest, 0.42.
By Richie Bernardo, From a WalletHub News Release for SouthFloridaReporter.com, Mar. 18, 2016
