Study: Florida in the bottom half of best states to raise a family

When it comes to the best place to raise a family, Florida comes in near the bottom — at least according to one new study. 

The Sunshine State came in at No. 32 on a list created by WalletHub, falling far below states like Iowa, New York, Illinois, Washington, California and Maine. The personal finance company looked at all 50 states and compared 51 indicators, including child mortality and housing affordability, to rank which states were best for families.

Florida ranked in the lower tier across most categories, coming in at No. 30 in education; No. 39 in median family income; No. 27 in the cost of childcare; No. 48 in the percentage of young families; and No. 26 in per capita violent crimes.

The good news? People aren't struggling to find work in Florida. It was No. 1 in unemployment rate.  

The top place in the country to raise a family, according to the study, is Massachusetts. It ranks No. 5 in health and safety and No. 2 in both education and childcare affordability. Coming in at the bottom is Mississippi, which is No. 50 in health and safety and No. 34 in education, slightly below Florida.