Nevada deemed one of worst states to raise a family

Jan. 19--Nevada is the fifth worst state in the U.S. to raise a family, according to a study by the personal-finance website WalletHub.

The analysis included data on median family salary, housing prices, unemployment rate, violent crime and divorce rates. States were given a score in five areas: family fun, health and safety, education and child care, affordability and socioeconomics.

The website ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and only four came in with lower overall scores than Nevada (Louisiana, District of Columbia, Mississippi and New Mexico).

Nevada's worst score among the categories was education and child care, in which it ranked dead last. This metric was derived by combining scores for the quality of public schools, high school graduation rates, day care quality and costs, and parental leave.

"A child is highly influenced by the place in which they live," said Elaine Leeder, dean emerita and Sociology professor at Sonoma State University. "Their peers are equally important as well as the types of programming they can engage in. The quality of life is determined by many factors, not just a nice house."

While Nevada wasn't near the bottom in most average test scores, it ranked 49th in graduation rate with only 71.3 percent of public school students graduating high school.

"Families are under inordinate stress trying to work multiple jobs in order to afford day care and health insurance when their children are younger," said Deborah Merrill, sociology professor at Clark University. "Assistance from the government would allow parents to have the time to have a meal with their children on a regular basis and not have to choose between paying for the heat that month versus buying groceries. They would not have to work double shifts and could supervise their children."

The only category where Nevada ranked in the top 40 was "family fun" -- the Silver State came in second behind South Dakota. The category was based on a state's number of attractions, fitness and recreational sports, weather, average commute time and arcades per capita.

Divorce rates were especially high in Nevada, with only the District of Columbia being higher. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nevada has a divorce rate of 14.2 percent -- compared with North Dakota's national low of 8.1 percent.

Nevada also had the third highest child care costs adjusted for median family income, and the third highest violent crime rate. There were nearly 160 homicides in Metro Police's jurisdiction in 2016 -- the highest number in 20 years.

According to the study, the best state to put down family roots in is North Dakota, followed by New Hampshire, Vermont and Minnesota.

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