Where you live can affect so many parts of family life. Housing costs. Child care. Groceries. Transportation. Schools. Access to health care. Even the amount of time and money a parent has left at the end of the month. For single mothers, those decisions can be especially complicated because one parent is often balancing the responsibilities of earning an income and caring for the children. A new 2026 study from Single Mothers Grants takes a closer look at those challenges by comparing major U.S. metropolitan areas and all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. The study looks beyond housing costs alone and considers several factors that can affect a family’s day-to-day life.
What Did the Study Measure? According to the researchers, the analysis looked at nine major categories:
- Rent burden and income
- Child care costs
- Child care availability
- Transportation costs
- Food costs
- Unemployment
- Crime
- Health care access
- Education
The researchers used data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey, Child Care Aware’s 2024 child-care data, the USDA, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the FBI’s 2024 Crime Data Explorer, HRSA, and the 2024 Nation’s Report Card. The individual measurements were standardized and combined into a composite score for the metro and state comparisons.
Which Metro Areas Ranked Highest?
The study identified Worcester, Massachusetts; Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota; and Omaha, Nebraska, as its top three metropolitan areas for single mothers.
Hartford and Albany rounded out the study’s top five.
The researchers say those communities benefited from different combinations of factors such as housing affordability, education, child-care availability, unemployment, and safety.
At the other end of the metro comparison were several expensive California markets, including San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego. The study says high housing and child-care costs were major factors affecting those communities’ overall results.
Las Vegas also ranked toward the bottom, although the study points to different concerns there, including safety and health-care access rather than simply housing costs.
What About Texas?
This is one part of the study that caught my attention as a Texas mom. The researchers specifically point to El Paso and San Antonio as two Texas metropolitan areas with relatively favorable child-care affordability. However, they also note that child-care affordability is only one part of the overall picture, and other costs and service gaps affect the metros’ broader results.
That distinction is important. There isn’t necessarily one city that will be the perfect fit for every family. A parent who already has affordable child care may be much more concerned about housing. Another family may have grandparents nearby and place a greater value on that support system than on a slightly lower cost of living somewhere else. And that’s one reason I think these types of studies are interesting—but should be viewed as a starting point rather than a final answer.
The Numbers Don’t Tell the Whole Story
One of the most interesting points in the study’s own conclusion is that statistics can’t measure everything that makes a community work for a family. A city might have lower housing costs, but what happens if your support system is several hours away? Maybe another community costs a little more, but your parents live nearby and can help with school pickup. Perhaps you have friends who can help when a child is sick, a church community that knows your family, or a neighborhood where you feel connected. Those things have value, too. The researchers themselves encourage families to consider their personal support networks when thinking about where to live.
What Should Families Look At? If you’re considering a move—or simply trying to understand the cost of raising a family where you already live—it may help to look at several categories rather than focusing on one ranking.
Consider:
Housing: How much of your income will go toward rent or a mortgage?
Child care: Is care affordable, and are there actually openings available when you need them?
Transportation: How much will it cost to get to work, school, child care, medical appointments, and everything else your family needs?
Food: What does your grocery budget look like in that community?
Schools: What are the schools like in the specific neighborhood or district you’re considering?
Health care: How easy is it to find pediatric and other medical care?
Safety: What do the numbers look like for the specific neighborhood—not just the city as a whole?
Support system: Do you have family, friends, neighbors, or a community nearby who can help when life doesn’t go according to plan?
That last question may be one of the most important.
There Isn’t One “Best” Place for Every Family
The 2026 study provides an interesting look at the different pressures single mothers face when trying to build stable lives for their children. But a ranking can only measure the things included in the study. It can’t measure the grandmother who picks up her grandchildren after school. It can’t measure the friend who brings dinner when a child is sick. It can’t measure the neighbor who knows your kids by name.
And it certainly can’t measure what it feels like to finally find a community where your family feels at home. For some families, affordability may be the deciding factor. For others, child care, schools, health care, safety, employment, or proximity to family may matter more. The most useful thing we can take from studies like this isn’t necessarily a list of places to move. It’s a reminder to look at the whole picture when we’re thinking about what families need to thrive. Want to See the Full Study?
The complete 2026 analysis includes the methodology, data sources, metro comparisons, state rankings, and category-specific information. You can review the original study and its methodology here.
Greatful Moments was contacted with information about this 2026 study. We reviewed the published methodology and data before sharing these findings with our readers.
Grateful, Thankful, Blessed.
GreatfulMoments.com
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
