For families with both parents in the household working, Wichita Falls is a great place to call home, according to a recent analysis by personal finance experts.
In its third annual study looking at the best places for dual-worker families, SmartAsset ranked Wichita Falls seventh out of 535 cities ranked in the United States.
The company looked at nine metrics, including unemployment rate, median household income. and median housing costs.
The study also took into account the percent of workforce that works more than 49 weeks a year, average commute time, high-school graduation rate, state family-leave policies and childcare costs.
Wichita Falls got top billing due to low commute times, equating to more time parents can spend with their children. The average reported commute time was 15 minutes.
The city also scored well due to a high graduation rate. The Department of Education reported almost 94 percent of Wichita Falls students complete high school.
Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Henry Florsheim said the city has a great deal to offer working families.
“Not having to spend two hours a day in the car commuting makes a huge difference to people," he said. "A good work/life balance helps because people have more time to spend with family."
Along with the measured metrics, Florsheim said Wichita Falls has many family-centered and outdoor activities to offer.
The winters are mild, he said, lending to tons of sunny days to play outside.
Friendly citizens who support each other and a safe, quiet environment are other factors that lend to Wichita Falls being a good choice for families.
Texas scored slightly below average because of a lack of family-leave laws at the state level.
Several of the top ranking cities in this study were several towns in Texas and the Midwest.
East Coast cities scored poorly, the study reports, especially in the Northeast, due to high cost of living, high childcare and housing costs.
The highest score for Northeastern cities was Newton, Massachusetts, which came in 124th.
The top 10 cities for working parents are:
- Ames, Iowa
- Provo, Utah
- Iowa City, Iowa
- Orem, Utah
- Jonesboro, Arkansas
- Saint George, Utah
- Wichita Falls, Texas
- Santa Clara, California
- Oshkosh, Wisconsin
- Abilene, Texas
The winner in this year’s study – Ames, Iowa – stood out for their extremely low unemployment rate (less than two percent) and low percentage of people that worked more than 49 weeks a year.
The complete SmartAsset study of top cities for working parents families in 2018 can be seen here.