Portland Ranked 88th in U.S. for Families

Wednesday, September 07, 2016

GoLocalPDX News Team

Portland has been ranked 88th in the country for families out of 150 cities included in the study.

"The average American can expect to move anestimated 11.7 times during his or her lifetime, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Moving can be a sign of opportunity — perhaps a new job or long-term wealth accumulation — or of instability such as foreclosure or job loss. The key in either case — whether you’re a newly married couple or a victim of America’s economic transition — is to choose an area conducive to economic prosperity and the overall pursuit of happiness," said WalletHub.

WalletHub says that Portland ranks 35th for family fun, 95th for health and safety, 101st for education and child care, 83rd for affordability, and 82nd for socioeconomic environment.

The Rankings

Portland ranks 88th behind Oxnard, California and Laredo, Texas at 86 and 87 respectively, while ranking ahead of Chattanooga, Tennessee and Fontana, California at 89 and 90 respectively.

Birmingham, Alabama is ranked as the worst city for families, while Overland Park, Kansas is ranked as the best city.

See the map below for complete rankings.

Source: WalletHub

The Method

To identify the cities that are best for families, WalletHub compared the 150 U.S. cities across five dimensions including, family fun, health and safety, education and child care, affordability,and socioeconomic environment.

WalletHub evaluated the categories using 36 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale with 100 being the best score.

They then calculated overall scores for each city using the weighted average across all metrics, which they then used to construct the final rankings.

The 150 cities were selected based on population size and the availably of reliable data.

Family Fun – Total Points: 20

Number of Playgrounds per Capita: Full Weight (~1.60 Points)
Number of Ice Rinks per Capita: Half Weight (~0.80 Points)
Number of Skate Parks per Capita: Half Weight (~0.80 Points)
Parkland Acreage per Capita: Half Weight (~0.80 Points)
Walkability: Full Weight (~1.60 Points)
WalletHub “Sports Fans” Ranking: Double Weight (~3.20 Points)
WalletHub “Recreation” Ranking: Double Weight (~3.20 Points)
Number of Attractions (e.g., zoos, museums, theaters): Full Weight (~1.60 Points)
WalletHub “Weather” Ranking: Full Weight (~1.60 Points)
Percentage of Families with Children Aged 0 to 17: Double Weight (~3.20 Points)
Average Commute Time: Full Weight (~1.60 Points)

Health & Safety – Total Points: 20

Air Quality: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
Water Quality: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
Number of Pediatricians per Capita: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
Percentage of Children (Aged 0 to 17) Lacking Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
Public Hospitals Ranking: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
Infant Mortality Rate: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
Violent-Crime Rate per Capita: Double Weight (~4.00 Points)
Property-Crime Rate per Capita: Double Weight (~4.00 Points)

Education & Child Care – Total Points: 20

WalletHub “School Systems” Ranking: Double Weight (~8.00 Points)
High School Graduation Rate: Half* Weight (~2.00 Points)
Day-Care Quality: Half* Weight (~2.00 Points)
Child-Care Costs: Half* Weight (~2.00 Points)

Note: This metric was adjusted for the median family income.

Number of Child Day-Care Services per Capita: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
“Parental Leave Policy” Score: Half* Weight (~2.00 Points)

Affordability – Total Points: 20

Housing Affordability: Full Weight (~6.67 Points)

Note: This metric was calculated by dividing median annual family income by housing costs and accounts for both rent and home sales prices.

Cost of Living: Full Weight (~6.67 Points)

Note: This metric was calculated by dividing median annual family income by the cost-of-living index.

WalletHub “Wallet Wellness” Ranking: Full Weight (~6.67 Points)

Socioeconomic Environment – Total Points: 20

Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)
Percentage of Two-Parent Families: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)
Percentage of Families Living Below the Poverty Line: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)
Percentage of Families Receiving Food Stamps: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)
Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)
Wealth Gap: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)
Foreclosure Rate: Half Weight (~1.33 Points)
“Social Ties” Ranking: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)