Is Sacramento A Bad Place To Raise Kids?

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Is Sacramento the best place to raise your family? A new study says no.

The Farm-to-Fork Capital received low marks for cost of living, crime and education.

At McKinley Park, Geoffrey Wright disagrees with the study.

"We really just enjoy the neighborhood," said the father of two.

Lisbeth Escalante moved to Sacramento from Guatemala a few years ago.

"I like the diversity and open-mind attitude here," she said.

Still, Sacramento is ranked in the bottom 10 of the worst U.S. cities to raise your family, according to a study done by Clever Real Estate.

"We don't want to call any city bad," said Danetha Doe, an economist and spokesperson for the company.

The study looked at the best places to raise kids and used several metrics including graduation rates.

Sacramento City Unified School District's graduation rate for the 2020-2021 academic school year is nearly 86 percent.

It's a bit higher compared to the statewide rate at almost 84 percent.

Yet, Sacramento also got dinged for expensive rent.

Apartment List reports the average for a one-bedroom unit is just above $2,000.

"Sure, it's really expensive – a lot of the stuff is expensive here but I don't' see it much different than any other big city in California," said Chris Edson.

It's not.

Riverside, Los Angeles and San Diego round out the top three for worst places to raise kids.

For the cities that ranked bottom 10, Clever Real Estate found common themes.

"High cost of living," Doe said. "It's why a lot of California cities are in the bottom of that list."

The list comes at a time when families struggle with rising inflation and skyrocketing gas prices.

For some families, the pros outweigh the cons.

"It's just a great place to raise our kids," said Wright. "We feel very fortunate to be here."

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