Had it not been for poor marks in health and safety, Missouri may have finished higher on a list of "Best & Worst States to Raise a Family."
While finishing in the top half in four of the five categories used to compile the rankings, a 38th place finish in that "health and safety" category brought Missouri down to No. 24.
Factors in that category included the infant mortality rate, life expectancy at birth, air and water quality, and crime rates.
Our best category was "family fun," which counted number of young children and the amount of sports, recreation and leisure activities available. In that category, Missouri was pegged at No. 17.
The other categories were: education and child care (20); affordability (21); and socio-economics (21).
Looking at the fine print of other minor factors, Missouri was ranked No. 4 overall when it came to the lowest cost of child care.
Three bordering states had better finishes: Iowa (8th), Nebraska (9) and Illinois (15). The five others finished behind the Show-Me State: Kansas (26), Tenneessee (36), Kentucky (37), Arkansas (43) and Oklahoma (45).
