Long Beach ranked as one of the worst cities in California in which to raise a family in an analysis released today by the website WalletHub.
The report ranked Long Beach 209th out of 240 cities in California, measuring components of each city along four major categories: family life and fun, education, health and safety, affordability and socioeconomic environment.
Long Beach scored below average in most categories, ranking 100th in percentage of families with children younger than age 18, 201st in median family salary (adjusted for cost of living) and 137th in quality of school system. In other categories, the city ranked as follows:
- High School Graduation Rate: 186th
- Violent-Crime Rate per Capita: 193rd
- Housing Affordability: 215th
- Percentage of Families Below Poverty Level: 191st
- Unemployment Rate: 189th
- Divorce Rate: 220th
- Number of Playgrounds per Capita: 143rd
Within each category, the study focuses on such items as number of playgrounds per 100,000 residents, number of ice rinks per 100,000 residents, attractions, young children, quality schools, air quality, violent crime rate per capita, housing affordability, divorce and unemployment rates and wealth gap.
“We find it hard to take serious a for-profit financial services corporation that is looking to create news to sell loans and insurance,” said Long Beach city spokeswoman Kerry Gerot. “We are very proud of what Long Beach has to offer families and we believe our residents would agree. Long Beach has been recently recognized nationally for its award-winning school district, award-winning parks, and our City is currently experiencing our lowest unemployment rate since 2008.”
The City of Los Angeles scored worse than Long Beach, ranking 215th. Other regional cities ranking below Long Beach included Paramount (216th), West Hollywood (224th), Hawthorne (225th), Inglewood (235th) and Huntington Park (240th).
Bellflower, Costa Mesa, Glendale, Pasadena and Beverly Hills were among the cities that ranked better than Long Beach, at 206th, 162nd, 172nd, 140th and 132nd, respectively.
Manhattan Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes and Brentwood were among the best-rated cities in which to raise a family at 13th, 17th, and 21st, according to WalletHub.
Are you raising your family in Long Beach, or were you raised here? We want to hear your story; comment below or email us at [email protected].
This article was updated at 8:37PM with a statement from Long Beach spokeswoman Kerry Gerot.