Study finds NJ kids are healthier and better supported than most of the nation

In New Jersey, the town in which you live can have a tremendous impact on the quality of education your child is going to receive. Sadly, it’s a story of haves and have nots, with a greater percentage of property taxes going to support schools here than in other states.

Yet if you look at our state as a whole, we do well by our children academically. How well are we doing by our kids in other areas?

Very well.

New study looks beyond test scores and grades

A study conducted by Go Au Pair compared child well-being in all 50 states. They didn’t just look at math scores and reading scores. Metrics included median family income and parental unemployment. They looked at childhood depression, death rates, childhood obesity, living in crowded housing, living with smokers, etc..

According to a press release on the study, it was very good news for New Jersey. When the cost of living here is keeping you up at night, know this. New Jersey is the second-best state in the nation for healthy and well-supported kids.

New Jersey ranks among the best states for child well-being

The state ranks third highest nationally for median family income ($131,700) and fourth lowest for child and teen death rate at 19 per 10,000.

Academically, New Jersey performs well, ranking ninth in math and second in reading for 4th graders. While it struggles slightly with parental unemployment at 4% (44th nationally) and crowded housing (14% of children), the state offsets these challenges with comparatively low anxiety and depression rates among children at 11%, ranking third best nationally.

How New Jersey compares to the rest of the country

The only state better than New Jersey for raising a child? Massachusetts. They scored very strongly in education, with math and reading scores both in first place.

The worst state for children? West Virginia.

But if you insist on getting out of New Jersey as many do, here are the top 10 best states for kids.

1 — Massachusetts
2 — New Jersey
3 — Connecticut
4 — Utah
5 — Colorado
6 — New Hampshire
7 — Minnesota
8 — Maryland
9 — Nebraska
10 — South Dakota