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Florida ranks #43 in the 'Best (and Worst) States for Families to Live a Richer Life' survey

Is there a place in America where families can have it all — high income, job security, safe neighborhoods, affordable child care and a good education? To help make that answer more clear, GOBankingRates surveyed all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on 12 different factors to find the places families can get the most out of life.

The factors span the following:

  • Jobs and income: median household income and state unemployment rate
  • Housing: median home listing price and effective state property tax
  • Lifestyle: state sales tax, annual child care costs, cost of groceries and school district grades
  • Healthcare: average family health insurance premium and percentage of employer contribution to employee health insurance
  • Safety: violent crime rates and property crime rates
10 Best States for Families to Live a Richer Life: 10 Worst States for Families to Live a Richer Life:
1. New Hampshire 1. District of Columbia
2. North Dakota 2. California
3. Delaware 3. Illinois
4. Montana 4. Connecticut
5. Wyoming 5. Nevada
6. South Dakota 6. Washington
7. Virginia 7. Texas
8. Arkansas 8. Rhode Island
9. Idaho 9. Florida
10. Colorado 10. New Mexico


About Florida, which GoBankingRate ranked at #43, they said this:

43. Florida

  • Jobs and Income Score: 36
  • Housing Score: 68
  • Lifestyle Score: 53
  • Healthcare Score: 35
  • Safety Score: 49

Like Connecticut, Florida suffers from one of the worst healthcare scores on this list, tied for the worst state in terms of employer contribution to health insurance. Florida's safety score doesn't help its case, with both violent crime and property crime rates ranking among the highest in the country. Housing prices and property taxes aren’t too bad, but Florida’s median household income is less than three-quarters of the U.S, at $47,212.