Zillow recently came up with a list of towns that fit the economic and lifestyle needs of single moms.
All around the nation, the top towns for moms are places where moms have access to affordable housing, can enroll their kids in good public schools, are able to earn a fair wage compared to working men, need not worry about high crime rates, and can live in walkable communities with limited commute times.
"We theorized that for single working moms, efficiency is highly important. The need to save time and stretch dollars is a way of life," the report says.
Zillow analyzed it's Zillow Home Value Index to measure affordability; Census Bureau data on women's annual earnings as a percentage of men's earnings to find places where women had an opportunity to really bring home the bacon; public education spending per student to find good schools; FBI violent crime rates to build safety into the choices and Walk Scores to find livability and car-free commute ease.
"While these cities are also nice places to be a parent of any type -- mom, dad, married, or single -- this list was designed to give particular emphasis to the needs of single moms by identifying communities that are financially advantageous, safe, convenient, and conducive to raising children in the public school system," Zillow reports.
Here's a close of the top three Zillow's "10 Best Places for Single Moms to Live" and the rest of the list.
• 1. Rochester, NY. Rochester comes with affordability, a strong job market and solid schools. The median price in the Rochester metro area is $116,000, down 3.9 percent from last year. Wegmans, Strong Memorial Hospital, and institutions like the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology provide steady employment opportunities and skilled workers.
• 2. Port St. Lucie, FL. Port St. Lucie offers women one of the best opportunities to earn a competitive income, compared to men. Affordable housing -- $106,600 median -- is another bonus.
• 3. Bakersfield, CA. The population in Bakersfield has more than tripled over the past three decades, and the community scored in the top third for education spending per pupil. Increasing rates of foreclosures and declining home values make it possible for qualified buyers to negotiate good deal on a home, Zillow said.
Here's the full "10 Best Places for Single Moms to Live".
Published: May 26, 2011
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 A journalist for 35-years, Broderick Perkins parlayed an old-school daily newspaper career into a digital news service offering editorial content and consulting services. Perkins' San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews Group includes the flagship news site, DeadlineNews.Com, offering real estate, personal finance and consumer journalism, and a backshop, the
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