New Jersey is one of the Top 10 states to raise a family, coming in at 7th and sandwiched between New York and Nebraska, according to a new survey by the personal finance website WalletHub.

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Wallethub analyst Jill Gonzalez said to determine the best states in which to put down family roots, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 50 key indicators of family friendliness. The data set ranged from median family salary to housing affordability to unemployment rate as well as education and child care services.

She said New Jersey did very well in education, child care and health and safety but could do better when it comes to socio-economics.

New Jersey has the third highest median family salary in the country, one of the only northeastern states to say that.

But New Jersey also has the third highest separation and divorce rate and the underemployment rate is higher. Gonzalez said it's possible people in the state do have jobs but still are not necessarily keeping up with paying the bills.

Gonzalez said when it comes to education and childcare, the taxes tend to be higher in New Jersey but people are getting what they pay for.

 

She said it's important to note that when families are considering where they they want to set down some roots, they should look at schools, child care opportunities, the size of schools and the availability of quality child care.

New Jersey does not have a wait list for great schools, even for pre-kindergarten, so that is good news. Gonzalez also noted that some areas of New Jersey are affordable when it comes to housing because salaries are higher. Some areas are struggling especially when property taxes are factored into the equation. It's about finding that balance within communities that can attract young families.

The best state to raise a family, according to the survey, is Minnesota. Massachusetts ranked second followed by North Dakota, Vermont and New Hampshire. On the flip side, New Mexico is the worst state to raise a family followed by Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia and Alabama.

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