These Are The Best — And Worst — Places To Raise A Family In CA: Study

CALIFORNIA — The best place to raise a family in the U.S. is right here in California, according to a new report.

The personal finance website WalletHub looked at the best and worst places to raise a family, with Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area ranking as the overall best place to put down roots.

WalletHub compared 182 cities based on cost of housing, health and safety, quality of education, socioeconomics, and recreational opportunities.

Fremont took the top spot largely due to economic factors. The city boasts one of the highest median family incomes after adjusting for the cost of living, at close to $122,000. The city scored first in socioeconomics, as well as education and childcare.

"While not perfect — given personal preferences and the limitations of publicly available data — our findings will hopefully give movers a better sense of their options," WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann wrote.

Fremont wasn't the only city in California that landed on the list. In fact, six cities in the Golden State ranked among the top 15.

Irvine in Orange County ranked third. The city scored first in health and safety.

San Jose ranked seventh and San Diego ranked eighth. Huntington Beach claimed the 10th spot, while San Francisco took 12th.

According to the report, San Bernardino is the worst place to raise a family in California. The city in the Inland Empire region of the state ranked No. 177.

Memphis, Tennessee, at No. 182, ranked as the overall worst place to raise a family.

See how other cities in California ranked, from best to worst, below. National rankings are in parenthesis.

1. Fremont (1)
2. Irvine (3)
3. San Jose (7)
4. San Diego (8)
5. Huntington Beach (10)
6. San Francisco (12)
7. Rancho Cucamonga (33)
8. Santa Rosa (37)
9. Santa Clarita (41)
10. Chula Vista (43)
11. Sacramento (47)
12. Garden Grove (56)
13. Glendale (61)
14. Oceanside (70)
15. Modesto (75)
16. Los Angeles (85)
17. Long Beach (102)
18. Anaheim (104)
19. Bakersfield (110)
20. Oxnard (112)
21. Fontana (118)
22. Oakland (121)
23. Stockton (122)
24. Santa Ana (124)
25. Riverside (127)
26. Moreno Valley (142)
27. Ontario (144)
28. Fresno (147)
29. San Bernardino (177)

Read the full report.