DC ranked worst place to start a family, new study says

WASHINGTON - A new study from Ivy Surrogacy ranks Washington, D.C. as the worst place in the U.S. to start a family, citing high living costs, safety concerns and poor education.

Ivy Surrogacy’s Best and Worst States to Start a Family report analyzed nine key factors across all 50 states and the nation’s capital using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bureau of Labor Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics.

The factors include income, cost of living, life expectancy, children’s health insurance coverage, pediatrician availability, high school graduation rates, and reading and math proficiency.

The report comes as the fertility rate in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with fewer than 1.6 kids per woman, according to federal data released earlier this year. More people are marrying later and expressing concern about affording the money, health coverage and resources needed to raise children in a stable environment, the Associated Press reported.

Washington, D.C. by the Numbers According to Ivy Surrogacy's study:

• Homicide rate: 33.1 per 100,000 people (50th)
• Public high school graduation rate: 76% (49th)
• Cost of living index: 138.8 (48th)
• Reading & math scores (Grades 4–8): 238.3 (47th)
• Life expectancy: 75.3 years (32nd)
• Vehicle fatalities: 1.3 per 100M miles (27th)
• Median home price-to-income ratio: 4.1 (25th)
• Uninsured children under 19: 2.7% (5th best nationally)

The ten best states for families are concentrated in the Midwest and Northeast, Ivy Surrogacy's study says, while nine of the ten worst states are located in the South or West.

Read the full report online.