Falls Church Ranked #1 Place to Raise a Family in Virginia: Study

FALLS CHURCH, VA -- If you're raising a family in Falls Church, kudos to you. A new study out Thursday says Falls Church is the #1 spot in Virginia to raise a family. One of the reasons is the number of playgrounds, according to the study by WalletHub.

• Falls Church has the most playgrounds per 100,000 residents, 30.06, which is 55 times higher than in Newport News, the city with the fewest at 0.55.
• Falls Church also had the lowest percent of families below the poverty line.

With steady economic growth projected for 2017 and 20 new bills being introduced by Virginia lawmakers to make higher education more affordable, the personal-finance Web site WalletHub Thursday released its report identifying 2017's Best Places to Raise a Family in Virginia.

Some of the reasons Virginia is great for families, according to the study, include the area's "breathtaking natural landscape," cultural diversity and cultural diversity.

Another reason the area is great for families: Fun things to do, as well as economic security (Northern Virginia is home to four of the 10 wealthiest counties in the country, and has the 11th highest per-capita personal income).

Education and healthcare are also key, according to WalletHub. Virginia’s public schools outrank those in 42 states and the District of Columbia.

To help families sort through the most suitable places in Virginia for putting down roots, WalletHub’s analysts compared 82 cities in the state across 21 key metrics. The data set ranges from “median family income” to “school-system quality” to “housing affordability.”

Here's a look at the top 10, with Falls Church leading the pack.

Top 10 Virginia Cities for Raising a Family

1. Falls Church
2. Leesburg
3. Vienna
4. South Riding
5. Great Falls
6. Forest
7. Poquoson
8. Ashburn
9. Fairfax
10. Cave Spring

Best vs. Worst

• Falls Church has the most playgrounds per 100,000 residents, 30.06, which is 55 times higher than in Newport News, the city with the fewest at 0.55.
• Vienna has the lowest violent-crime rate per 1,000 residents, 0.54, which is 15 times lower than in Petersburg, the city with the highest at 8.09.
• Great Falls has the highest median annual family income (adjusted for cost of living), $120,192, which is 2.8 times higher than in Petersburg, the city with the lowest at $42,185.
• Great Falls has the lowest separation and divorce rate, 4.95 percent, which is 7.6 times lower than in Richmond, the city with the highest at 37.73 percent.
• Great Falls has the lowest share of families receiving food stamps, 0.49 percent, which is 64 times lower than in Petersburg, the city with the highest at 31.58 percent.

Here is more about the methodology used for the report:

To help families find the best Virginia cities in which to put down roots, WalletHub’s analysts compared 82 cities in the state across four key dimensions: 1) Family Life & Fun, 2) Education, Health & Safety, 3) Affordability and 4) Socioeconomics. Their sample considered only the city proper in each case and excludes cities in the surrounding metro area. They evaluated the four dimensions using 21 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 indicating the most suitable conditions for family life.

Finally, they calculated overall scores for each city using its weighted average across all metrics and ranked the cities based on the resulting scores.

Family Life, Fun – Total Points: 25

• Playgrounds per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Number of Attractions: Full Weight (~4.17 Points) Note: “Attractions” includes, for instance, museums, theaters and zoos.
• Share of Families with Children Aged 0 to 17: Double Weight (~8.33 Points)
• Weather: Full Weight (~4.17 Points) Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Cities with the Best & Worst Weather ranking.
• Average Commute Time: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

Education, Health, Safety – Total Points: 25

• Quality of School System: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
• High School Graduation Rate: Half Weight (~1.47 Points)
• Air Quality: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
• Pediatricians per Capita: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 0 to 17 Lacking Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
• Violent-Crime Rate per Capita: Double Weight (~5.88 Points)
• Property-Crime Rate per Capita: Double Weight (~5.88 Points)

Affordability – Total Points: 25

• Housing Affordability: Full Weight (~12.50 Points) Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Housing Costs (accounts for both rental and sale prices)/Median Annual Family Income.
• General Affordability: Full Weight (~12.50 Points) Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Median Annual Family Income / Cost-of-Living Index.

Socioeconomics – Total Points: 25

• Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Share of Two-Parent Families: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Share of Families Living Below Poverty Level: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Share of Households Receiving Food Stamps: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Wealth Gap: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

See the full report here.

Find Falls Church playgrounds on the NoVA Outdoors Web site.

PHOTO courtesy of NoVA Outdoors