A survey of census, labor, environmental and myriad other factors by a national company found the Cape Coral area to be about halfway down a list of nearly 200 best and worst places in the U.S. to raise a family.
There were four Florida cities ranked higher than Cape Coral, though none higher than 40th place, and five cities listed lower.
The study, done by personal finance and data gathering company WalletHub, compared 182 U.S. cities based on 45 key metrics that consider essential family dynamics, such as the cost of housing, the quality of local school and health-care systems, and the opportunities for fun and recreation.
In a preface to the study, WalletHub said families move often and for various reasons.
"In fact, the average American can expect to move an estimated 11.7 times in a lifetime. Moving can be a sign of opportunity, such as a new job or long-term wealth accumulation, but people may also move because of instability such as foreclosure or job loss," WalletHub said.
"During this period of high inflation, many families will consider moving to a place with a relatively low cost of living."
A Lee County spokesperson declined comment.
In Florida, a number of cities outranked Cape Coral including top-listed Pembroke Pines at 40th, followed by Orlando at 58th, St. Petersburg at 60th, and Port St. Lucie at 69th.
Rounding out Sunshine State cities were Tallahassee at 101, Jacksonville at 106, Miami at 163, Fort Lauderdale at 165 and Hialeah at 174.
Fort Myers was not part of the study, a WalletHub official said. The sample only included the cities listed, and exclude cities in the surrounding metro areas, according to Diane Polk, WalletHub communications manager.
"Fort Myers wasn't included in the sample because it is too small," Polk said. "The sample only includes the 150 most populated US cities plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state."
The top 10 U.S. cities to raise a family, according to WalletHub were Fremont, California, Overland Park, Kansas, Irvine, California, Plano, Texas, South Burlington, Vermont, San Diego, California, San Jose, California, Scottsdale, Arizona, Gilbert, Arizona, and San Francisco, California.
The bottom ranked 10 included Wilmington, Delaware, 173, Hialeah, 174, Baltimore, Maryland, 175, Shreveport, Louisiana, 176, San Bernardino, California, 177, Newark, New Jersey, 178, Birmingham, Alabama, 179, Detroit, Michigan, 180, Memphis, Tennessee, 181, Cleveland, Ohio, 182.
Some aspects of the study found the following:
Playgrounds per Capita
Most
- T-1. New York, NY
- T-1. Chicago, IL
- T-1. Charlotte, NC
- 4. Houston, TX
- 5. Detroit, MI
Fewest
- 97. Jersey City, NJ
- 98. Santa Ana, CA
- 99. Newark, NJ
- 100. Gilbert, AZ
- 101. Hialeah, FL
Percent of Families with Young Kids
Highest
- 1. Laredo, TX
- 2. Aurora, IL
- 3. Gilbert, AZ
- 4. Bakersfield, CA
- 5. San Bernardino, CA
Lowest
- 178. Birmingham, AL
- 179. Honolulu, HI
- 180. Cape Coral, FL
- 181. Scottsdale, AZ
- 182. Pearl City, HI
Median Family Salary (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
Highest
- T-1. Overland Park, KS
- T-1. Columbia, MD
- T-1. Scottsdale, AZ
- T-1. Gilbert, AZ
- T-1. Charleston, SC
Lowest
- 178. New York, NY
- 179. Miami, FL
- 180. Detroit, MI
- 181. Newark, NJ
- 182. Hialeah, FL
Housing Affordability
Most
- 1. Cedar Rapids, IA
- 2. Pittsburgh, PA
- 3. Akron, OH
- 4. Bismarck, ND
- 5. Fargo, ND
Least
- 178. Long Beach, CA
- T-179. Los Angeles, CA
- T-179. Glendale, CA
- 181. Miami, FL
- 182. New York, NY
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Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Environmental Protection Agency, County Health Rankings, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Council for Community and Economic Research, The Trust for Public Land, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, National Partnership for Women & Families, TripAdvisor, Walk Score, Chmura Economics & Analytics, TransUnion, Yelp, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, GreatSchools.org, Numbeo, ATTOM, a property data provider and WalletHub research.
