The 10 Best Places for Single Moms to Live

It’s not easy being a mom, but single moms have it especially tough. Between managing work, caring for the house, financial commitments, and extracurricular activities while raising kid(s) alone is no easy task.

In honor of Mother’s Day, we put our data and analytical minds to work to determine where are the best places for single moms to live. In coming up with the list, “10 Best Places for Single Moms to Live,” we considered both economic and lifestyle factors that impact single moms across the country.

1. Rochester, NY

2. Port St. Lucie, FL

3. Bakersfield, CA

4. Ann Arbor, MI

5. Fort Meyers, FL

6. Fresno, CA

7. Green Bay, WI

8. Pittsburgh, PA

9. Lincoln, NE

10. Des Moines, IA

To determine this list, we looked at five core data metrics that could impact single moms across the country: Zillow price-to-income-ratio measuring affordability, Census Bureau data on women’s annual earnings as a percentage of men’s earnings and public education spending per student, FBI violent crime rates, andWalk Scores.

We theorized that for single working moms, efficiency is highly important. The need to save time and stretch dollars is a way of life. The cities that made our top 10 list are scattered across the U.S., and reflect places where moms have access to affordable housing, can enroll their kids in good public schools, are able to earn a fair wage compared to working men, need not worry about high crime rates, and can live in walkable communities with limited commute times.

While these cities are also nice places to be a parent of any type — mom, dad, married, or single — this Mother’s Day list was designed to give particular emphasis to the needs of single moms by identifying communities that are financially advantageous, safe, convenient, and conducive to raising children in the public school system.