The Top Ten Cities in SoCal to Raise Kids; Find Out Where RSM Ranks

Rancho Santa Margarita is one of the best cities in Southern California to raise a family. (But you knew that, right?).

So says website CreditDonkey, a credit card comparison and financial education website. It took five important variables to come up with what it considers a good place to raise kids. Those were:

1. Education: The percentage of high school graduates
2. Work-life balance: Average commute time
3. Family-friendly: The percentage of households with children under 18
4. Stable community: The percentage of people residing in the same house last year
5. Cost of living: The percentage of income spent on housing

Rancho Santa Margarita came in at No. 6 on the SoCal’s Top Ten.

“Compared to some of our other cities, the amount you’ll pay for housing is higher but you’ll also earn more, since the median income exceeds $102,000,” says CreditDonkey.

The No. 1 city to raise a family is Poway, according to CreditDonkey. Other Orange County cities include Lake Forest (No.4) and Cypress (No. 8).

And if you’re curious how RSM stacks in those five categories, here are the answers:

• High school graduate or higher: 95.1 percent
  
• Commute time: 28.2 minutes
  
• Households with children under 18: 44.4 percent
  
• Residing in same home: 88.3 percent
  
• Income spent on housing: 28.3 percent

PHOTO Patch photo credit: Martin Henderson