Best States To Raise A Family: Here's How MD Ranks In 2026

If you're a Maryland resident hoping to start a family soon, living in the Old Line State could make that choice a little easier, according to a new analysis.

Credit and finance website WalletHub on Monday released its 2026 list of best and worst states to raise a family. According to WalletHub researchers, the ideal state offers affordability with safety, strong job opportunities, and access to quality education, healthcare, and entertainment.

To help people find places with the perfect combination of those factors, WalletHub compared each state across 50 key indicators of family-friendliness. Some factors included median annual family income, housing affordability, health care quality, crime rate and school quality.

Maryland came in at No. 19 on this year's list, down one spot from 2025. WalletHub also ranked the state in specific areas, including family fun, health and safety, and affordability.

Here's how Maryland ranked in each category:

• Family Fun: 25
• Health & Safety: 30
• Education & Child Care: 16
• Affordability: 7
• Socioeconomics: 22

According to this year's list, Massachusetts is once again the best state to raise a family, followed by Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Nebraska.

At the bottom of this year's list was New Mexico, followed by West Virginia, Mississippi, Nevada and Alabama.

"Raising a family has become significantly more expensive in recent years as the cost of living has risen quickly," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. "In light of the expensive nature of being a parent and the responsibility it entails, it’s important to live in a city that is affordable while still providing quality health care, education, safety and opportunities for enrichment."

See the full ranking at WalletHub.com.