Michigan Is the Worst Midwest State to Raise a Family In, Study Says

I admit that I don't know many parents in Michigan, but those I do know seem to have had a solid experience raising their families in the Mitten State. By all accounts, I hear of solid education opportunities which typically go well with the low cost of living and a reasonable median household income compared to the rest of the country.

Still, it's easy to see how things change from one family to the next, or from one county to the next. After all, Detroit is wildly different from Kalamazoo which is just as different from Houghton. Families are bound to have different struggles and experiences as they go about their lives in Michigan.

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Nonetheless, it was a surprise to me to see that Michigan recently ranked among the worst states in the country to raise a family in. According to a study from WalletHub, Michigan ranks as the No. 38 state overall to raise a family in, which ranks lower than every other state in the Midwest.

WalletHub weighed the data across five categories to rank each state. The categories were Family Fun, Health and Safety, Education and Child Care, Affordability, and Socioeconomics.

Michigan only performed well in Affordability, which ranked 14th in the nation. Meanwhile, Michigan was 25th for Health and Safety, 28th in Socioeconomics, and 40th for Family Fun and Education and Childcare.

While it's easy to see why Michigan would rank poorly in some of these categories, it is a bit of a sweeping generalization of the state. Areas like Detroit, Flint and others can skew the data - even as those cities are experiencing a noticeable turnaround.

Just as is the case with many things, location matters nearly above all. Find the right spot in Michigan to settle down and raise a family based on your circumstances and needs, and you'll be sure to have a good experience raising a family in the Great Lakes State.