More families in America now have two working parents, but many of them are still feeling financially stressed amid rising housing costs and the expenses that come with raising children.
Slideshow: The 15 Best Cities for Working Parents
While it’s tough for working parents across the country, there are some cities where the load is a bit lighter, thanks to lower childcare costs and shorter commute times, which allow parents to spend more time with their kids on workdays.
That’s crucial in a country where the vast majority of parents work. More than 71 percent of women with children under age 18 worked last year, joining 93 percent of men with young children.
Financial data firm SmartAsset crunched the numbers to find the best places for working families, factoring in leave policies, childcare costs, and commute times, as well as other family-friendly attributes such as low unemployment rates, high graduation rates and low levels of violent crime.
The study found that childcare costs for those under age four have risen in almost every state over the past year. The increase has been dramatic in some areas, with costs going up 15 percent in Colorado, for example. About a third of families spend 20 percent or more of their income on childcare, according to a recent Care.com report, and some parents spend significantly more.
For the second year in a row, Orem, Utah, came out on the top of the list, one of three Utah cities to rank among the top 10.
Click here to see the 15 best cities for working parents.
