Parenting Pointers: 2023's Best Cities for Single Dads

 

Which cities are best for juggling the many responsibilities that come with being a single father? To mark Father’s Day on June 18, LawnStarter ranked 2023's Best Cities for Single Dads to Live. They compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on six categories, such as Affordability and Work-Life Balance. We specifically looked at child care costs, public schools quality, and support programs, among 35 total metrics. See the 10 best (and 10 worst) cities for single dads below, followed by key stats from the report.

Best Cities for Single Dads to Live Rank City 1 Bellevue, WA 2 Irvine, CA 3 Naperville, IL 4 Fremont, CA 5 Sunnyvale, CA 6 Roseville, CA 7 San Francisco, CA 8 Seattle, WA 9 Portland, OR 10 Boston, MA Worst Cities for Single Dads to Live Rank City 1 Brownsville, TX 2 Killeen, TX 3 Detroit, MI 4 Mesquite, TX 5 Laredo, TX 6 Memphis, TN 7 Hialeah, FL 8 Clarksville, TN 9 Pasadena, TX 10 (TIE) 10 (TIE) Garland, TX Port St. Lucie, FL

Key Insights: Suburbs Seeking Single Dads: Some top suburbs ironically have fewer single dads to take advantage of available resources. Bellevue, Washington (No. 1), has the 2nd-smallest population of single dads in our ranking. Naperville, Illinois (No. 3), and Overland Park, Kansas (No. 20), have similarly small populations. Nature and Nurture: Leading in Affordability, Child Care, and Home and Outdoors is Naperville, Illinois (No. 3). Cost of living is high, but most locals can afford it. Here, male residents have the 2nd-best purchasing power index and housing affordability, and Naperville has among the lowest shares of men and children in poverty. Bay State Balance: Working dads enjoy the best of both worlds in Worcester, Massachusetts (No. 19), which boasts the best Work-Life Balance, followed by Boston (No. 10) and Springfield, Massachusetts (No. 63). These cities have shorter average work weeks, the longest maximum paid family leave, and sick leave for child care.  Smart and Healthy: Charming Charleston, South Carolina (No. 76), takes 1st place in Health and Education, with high-quality hospitals and public schools and the 3rd-best access to hospitals. Boise, Idaho (No. 33), follows closely behind at No. 2 in Health and Education, claiming the 2nd-best access to family practitioners. Cali Community: With the most fatherhood programs, Los Angeles (No. 93) offers top Community Support. Unfortunately, the City of Angels falls behind in most of the other categories — with low Affordability, expensive and sparse child care options, small yards, and low access to quality hospitals and family practitioners.  Room to Grow: Cities with the most single fathers have room for improvement, including Newark, New Jersey (No. 116), Columbus, Georgia (No. 132), and Dayton, Ohio (No. 123). These cities land in the bottom half of our ranking with low access to baby supply stores, high rates of child poverty, and mediocre public schools.   Helpful Links: See Where Your City Ranks Full Study Article Expert Insights Methodology Give dad a hand this Father’s Day by weeding or mowing his lawn. Or, hire a local LawnStarter pro to take care of it so you can spend some quality time together instead. More from LawnStarter:  Best Cities for Single Moms Best Cities for Veterans Best Cities for Remote Workers Best Cities for Mental Wellness Best Cities to Live Without a Car Best States at Managing Waste