LA Among Worst Places In U.S. To Raise Children, Report Finds

LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles County ranks among the worst U.S. metropolitan areas to raise kids, according to a new study measuring children's chances of staying healthy and achieving economic success.

The Child Opportunity Index, designed by Brandeis University in Massachusetts, measures 29 neighborhood conditions including proximity to early care and education, high school graduation rates, high-skill employment, housing vacancy rates and poverty levels.

The study compared metro areas by the levels of opportunity they offer, and measured how those opportunities differ by race and ethnicity.

Los Angeles and Orange counties ranked as the 17th worst in the nation, according to the index. Nearby Riverside was fifth-worst, while Bakersfield sits at the very bottom of the list, with more than 20% of families living in poverty and 12% of workers commuting at least two hours each day.

Meanwhile, another California metro scored near the top: the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara area ranked second in the nation, behind only Madison, Wisconsin. The San Francisco-Hayward-Oakland area ranked ninth.

The ranking shows the stark inequality of opportunity that defines California, according to an analysis by CalMatters.

"California is fascinating because there is such inequity within the state," Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, director of Brandeis' Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy and co-author of the report, told CalMatters. "It is remarkable that you have literally one of the best — San Jose — and the worst within the same state."

The difference in conditions between high- and low-opportunity areas in San Jose were less extreme than those in other metro areas, according to the study. Only a 63-point gap separated the highest and lowest neighborhoods in the San Jose area, compared to a 78-point gap in Los Angeles.

"On average, you would prefer to be a poor child in the Bay Area than a poor child in Los Angeles or the Central Valley," Acevedo-Garcia said. "Being low-income in San Jose might carry better child outcomes than in Los Angeles."

The study also showcases California's racial divides, finding that opportunities for black and Hispanic children remain scarce compared to white and Asian children. About 60% of black and Hispanic kids live in low-opportunity neighborhoods, compared to 20% of white and Asian children.

See also: CA Has Best And Worst Places In U.S. For Raising Children, Report Finds