ST. LOUIS – A new study ranked Missouri and Illinois as two of the worst US states for single parents to raise a family.
Business research firm Lending Tree revealed a list earlier this month that ranked the best and worst places for single parents. Missouri and Illinois both ranked in the bottom 10 of states, 44th and 42nd respectively.
Lending Tree analyzed Census data in all 50 states and assigned scores based on several pieces of criteria, including income, affordability and workplace protection.
Missouri and Illinois ranked within the middle of the pack for average income scores, though ranked near the bottom in other considerations. The study said Missouri has no workplace protections for attending school events during work hours. It also noted Illinois had a high regional price parity, so goods and services might cost you more there compared to other states.
The study named California the best state to raise a family as a single parent and tabbed Georgia as the worst. The 10 worst-ranked states in the study are all geographically in the south or Midwest, according to Lending Tree.