These Are the Best Cities for Single Dads, Study Says

For many single dads, it really does take a village to raise a child—and where that village is can make a huge difference. The right location can mean better access to affordable childcare and quality education. Plus, parent-friendly policies like paid parental leave can vary a lot from state to state. To help single dads find the best places to settle down, Lawnstarter has put together a new report identifying the cities best suited to help dad and baby thrive.

The annual report determined which cities were best for single dads by comparing 500 US cities across 38 key indicators of single-dad friendliness. The indicators were housed under eight key dimensions: health and education, childcare, affordability, home and outdoors, work-life balance, community support, safety and state policy. The ideal cities were safe and affordable, with ample child care and community support, high-quality education and health care and a decent work-life balance.

According to the report, Newton, Massachusetts, is the best city for single dads. This Boston suburb, as well as No. 2 Redmond, Washington, earned top marks for safety and affordability, where working men with median annual incomes above $154,000 can easily afford housing and child care. But it’s not all work, no play. Newton also ranked first in parent-friendly state policies and in the top five for work-life balance.

Overall, Massachusetts and Oregon offered the most parent-friendly state policies, with the longest paid family leave — 12 weeks — job protections supporting paid family leave, and policies allowing parents to take sick days for child care. Massachusetts protects taking time off for school events, and both states have high shares of wage replacement for those who do take leave.

Rounding out the top five, Portland, Oregon, (which also scored in the top 10 best cities for single moms) secured spot No. 3 thanks to its high number of daycare and urgent care centers, while No. 4, Mountain View, California, boasts the most playgrounds per resident, with 443 playgrounds for every 10,000 residents. Finally, in the No. 5 slot, Warwick, Rhode Island, gets top marks for its plethora of childcare workers and high safety and affordability rankings.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 best cities for single dads based on their overall scores.

Top 10 Best Cities For Single Dads

1. Newton, MA
2. Redmond, WA
3. Portland, OR
4. Mountain View, CA
5. Warwick, RI
6. Cambridge, MA
7. Bellevue, WA
8. Hillsboro, OR
9. Beaverton, OR
10. Irvine, CA

For a detailed breakdown of how the cities were scored and to see all 500 cities and their rank, check out the full online report.