2022’s Best Cities for Single Dads

Father businessman try to work at the laptop from home while his children play around. Boys playing pillow fighting. Stressed father. Quarantine time. Stay at home concept. Freelancer

Raising kids as a single, working dad is a balancing act of competing priorities — kids, job, soccer, dance classes, and butterfly kisses.

So, which cities best help single dads juggle all of those responsibilities?

LawnStarter ranked 2022’s Best Cities for Single Dads to mark Father’s Day on June 19.

We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities on 36 key indicators of an ideal environment for solo dads and their kids. Some examples include child care costs, public schools quality, and access to parks.

We also looked at family-leave policies and social support programs for dads, such as those offering parenting classes or financial assistance for children with disabilities.

Check out our ranking below, followed by some highlights, lowlights, and expert insights.

City Rankings
Highlights and Lowlights
Ask the Experts
Methodology
Post-Pandemic Parenting

City Rankings

See how each city fared in our ranking:

Overall Rank (1=Best)	City	Overall Score	Affordability Rank	Child Care Rank	Health and Education Rank	Home and Outdoors Rank	Work-Life Balance Rank	Community Support Rank
1	Naperville, IL	63.80	2	63	8	1	95	28
2	Overland Park, KS	63.13	4	57	1	6	115	121
3	Sioux Falls, SD	60.30	11	1	2	105	142	114
4	Olathe, KS	59.09	5	67	19	20	136	147
5	Cary, NC	59.08	3	104	57	17	75	26
6	Frisco, TX	58.92	1	73	6	83	164	143
7	Bellevue, WA	58.13	6	183	18	38	29	138
8	Omaha, NE	58.02	20	6	23	33	133	44
9	Lincoln, NE	57.90	28	2	10	98	121	173
10	Irvine, CA	57.38	27	167	3	24	9	37
11	McKinney, TX	56.97	8	83	12	16	177	158
12	Plano, TX	56.72	10	89	15	47	138	25
13	Lexington, KY	56.52	53	4	17	62	126	132
14	Madison, WI	56.46	75	69	7	48	71	72
15	Boise, ID	56.39	26	59	22	19	128	166
16	Scottsdale, AZ	56.35	7	44	35	61	81	199
17	Arlington, VA	55.72	16	146	9	2	140	103
18	Pittsburgh, PA	54.91	63	85	4	58	127	51
19	Huntsville, AL	54.76	15	24	74	75	119	164
20	Eugene, OR	54.60	187	107	44	46	3	161
21	Portland, OR	54.54	126	117	11	96	5	69
22	Buffalo, NY	54.00	176	48	67	22	13	84
23	Seattle, WA	53.88	23	172	32	77	39	79
24	Fremont, CA	53.30	14	200	14	32	25	193
25	Cincinnati, OH	53.14	99	37	71	14	124	1
26	Chandler, AZ	53.00	13	123	25	97	88	50
27	Sunnyvale, CA	52.98	12	198	24	70	14	110
28	Gilbert, AZ	52.74	9	121	49	68	100	40
29	Des Moines, IA	52.74	37	40	61	42	141	102
30	Baton Rouge, LA	52.74	129	14	13	118	77	178
31	Little Rock, AR	52.73	25	13	73	120	131	174
32	Salt Lake City, UT	52.41	82	39	101	30	114	9
33	Minneapolis, MN	52.35	49	128	89	9	65	39
34	Elk Grove, CA	52.07	24	161	34	36	36	171
35	Wichita, KS	52.06	35	36	40	91	149	116
36	Virginia Beach, VA	52.02	44	113	37	7	182	159
37	Knoxville, TN	52.00	146	31	52	54	116	172
38	Chesapeake, VA	51.82	22	112	39	37	183	145
39	Syracuse, NY	51.74	192	109	79	57	6	134
40	Vancouver, WA	51.53	91	139	54	45	61	67
41	Fort Collins, CO	51.52	113	130	27	50	64	85
42	Grand Rapids, MI	51.49	102	51	149	5	118	48
43	Boston, MA	51.48	175	192	5	41	4	92
44	Spokane, WA	51.37	71	133	75	108	43	65
45	Akron, OH	51.36	154	65	46	12	145	27
46	Atlanta, GA	51.22	42	3	82	135	92	5
47	Lakewood, CO	51.19	76	147	31	3	69	19
48	Kansas City, MO	51.03	45	29	76	101	144	71
49	Austin, TX	50.83	61	33	28	154	135	12
50	Winston-Salem, NC	50.82	130	70	78	11	90	151
51	Torrance, CA	50.81	32	184	16	141	19	135
52	Aurora, IL	50.74	36	98	77	25	107	101
53	Anchorage, AK	50.74	30	97	87	27	169	56
54	Oklahoma City, OK	50.72	33	32	21	182	166	21
55	San Francisco, CA	50.53	38	194	33	35	32	90
56	Chattanooga, TN	50.44	78	38	63	95	147	96
57	Amarillo, TX	50.39	46	16	93	80	176	124
58	Denton, TX	50.36	104	88	26	162	123	200
59	Fort Wayne, IN	50.27	29	42	110	78	161	93
60	Rochester, NY	50.23	197	92	156	15	11	144
61	St. Paul, MN	50.09	97	129	112	8	67	139
62	Tulsa, OK	49.94	73	21	68	145	148	131
63	Raleigh, NC	49.94	57	76	42	161	80	52
64	Louisville, KY	49.82	34	9	133	125	157	63
65	Greensboro, NC	49.78	107	52	111	52	78	62
66	St. Louis, MO	49.72	67	27	161	43	139	33
67	Indianapolis, IN	49.65	58	80	47	136	155	106
68	Mobile, AL	49.63	70	23	115	87	154	195
69	Tallahassee, FL	49.56	184	45	86	124	93	185
70	St. Petersburg, FL	49.30	51	87	140	39	151	153
71	Alexandria, VA	49.22	50	144	97	4	163	66
72	Albuquerque, NM	49.14	62	66	106	131	129	34
73	Sacramento, CA	49.07	131	164	60	56	20	16
74	Joliet, IL	49.05	18	91	158	10	120	167
75	Rockford, IL	49.01	139	54	85	66	91	105
76	Richmond, VA	48.91	150	127	53	60	125	43
77	Denver, CO	48.85	69	136	83	28	68	3
78	Salem, OR	48.60	159	90	120	155	8	58
79	San Diego, CA	48.60	127	168	30	137	17	10
80	Columbus, OH	48.43	103	49	175	44	130	54
81	Tampa, FL	48.43	108	55	59	140	158	60
82	Santa Rosa, CA	48.38	142	162	20	163	24	22
83	Dayton, OH	48.35	179	5	170	49	117	46
84	Durham, NC	48.31	56	101	66	167	79	75
85	Worcester, MA	48.29	133	193	58	89	2	141
86	Toledo, OH	48.24	153	55	132	31	152	8
87	Huntington Beach, CA	48.22	66	176	72	73	33	168
88	Henderson, NV	48.14	21	120	114	117	101	49
88	San Jose, CA	48.14	81	195	48	69	26	126
90	Orlando, FL	48.12	120	26	51	171	162	14
91	Irving, TX	47.97	59	94	99	100	165	129
92	Milwaukee, WI	47.93	160	11	103	113	83	11
93	Lubbock, TX	47.73	98	17	80	195	132	183
94	Charlotte, NC	47.72	48	72	138	115	94	53
95	Colorado Springs, CO	47.67	79	132	36	130	70	38
96	Corpus Christi, TX	47.59	80	28	70	153	190	155
97	Birmingham, AL	47.57	157	25	152	63	143	186
98	Reno, NV	47.46	93	105	124	106	82	86
99	Fullerton, CA	47.45	145	190	45	67	28	169
100	Pasadena, CA	47.42	134	179	43	138	21	13
101	Peoria, AZ	47.34	19	116	143	107	111	154
102	Chula Vista, CA	47.31	95	177	29	143	45	91
103	Tempe, AZ	47.31	138	108	164	114	73	140
104	Springfield, MO	47.30	149	22	125	174	122	119
105	Shreveport, LA	47.30	111	20	41	191	103	170
106	Murfreesboro, TN	47.29	65	58	129	148	159	190
107	Springfield, MA	47.27	167	174	162	21	1	95
108	Modesto, CA	47.27	40	157	50	160	53	104
109	Washington, DC	47.16	31	196	165	26	16	57
110	Nashville, TN	47.14	90	75	135	111	153	157
111	Orange, CA	47.06	128	171	69	121	23	194
112	Tacoma, WA	47.06	87	154	95	151	63	112
113	Chicago, IL	47.01	92	103	169	23	108	24
114	Mesa, AZ	46.93	77	122	108	93	97	83
115	Augusta, GA	46.93	165	8	181	13	106	196
116	Macon, GA	46.86	122	15	190	18	98	192
117	Jacksonville, FL	46.86	72	71	126	104	175	59
118	Montgomery, AL	46.69	84	19	173	175	134	149
119	Salinas, CA	46.69	161	169	38	64	52	119
120	Jackson, MS	46.46	171	7	118	179	146	191
121	Cleveland, OH	46.44	193	64	128	40	137	32
122	Yonkers, NY	46.35	147	134	147	74	40	17
123	Glendale, CA	46.32	168	186	56	110	22	4
124	New Orleans, LA	46.30	121	47	178	85	86	198
125	Escondido, CA	46.26	158	175	104	34	41	122
126	Providence, RI	46.09	172	125	157	71	7	68
127	Las Vegas, NV	45.74	116	96	121	133	99	31
128	Kansas City, KS	45.62	125	74	117	134	173	125
129	Miramar, FL	45.61	114	99	102	149	174	162
130	San Antonio, TX	45.58	136	60	109	158	167	136
131	Columbus, GA	45.57	101	12	171	164	105	188
132	Miami, FL	45.52	190	34	90	99	178	45
133	Aurora, CO	45.51	117	138	62	82	72	130
134	Pembroke Pines, FL	45.46	43	79	100	189	181	197
135	El Paso, TX	45.30	131	50	167	109	171	152
136	Arlington, TX	45.26	96	81	107	156	187	163
137	Tucson, AZ	45.08	156	110	130	157	76	61
138	Hollywood, FL	45.05	110	99	122	119	191	97
139	Hayward, CA	45.03	119	199	65	72	50	187
140	Jersey City, NJ	44.95	86	149	189	84	15	42
141	Enterprise, NV	44.90	52	140	119	185	96	98
142	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	44.86	39	159	81	192	49	179
143	Phoenix, AZ	44.85	105	119	144	116	102	64
144	New York, NY	44.83	185	131	127	55	55	7
145	Pasadena, TX	44.68	100	61	141	81	199	113
146	Oakland, CA	44.68	142	197	134	51	30	20
147	Newport News, VA	44.58	68	114	159	142	172	115
148	Glendale, AZ	44.55	83	118	160	94	112	76
149	Bakersfield, CA	44.47	88	145	84	196	48	94
150	Corona, CA	44.46	94	165	145	79	60	108
151	Thornton, CO	44.41	47	147	177	29	74	118
152	Santa Clarita, CA	44.38	41	191	64	165	59	74
153	Savannah, GA	44.33	174	10	191	126	84	81
154	Cape Coral, FL	44.30	85	111	154	122	188	180
155	Baltimore, MD	44.28	64	137	176	65	104	23
156	Memphis, TN	44.04	162	62	174	144	150	146
157	Fontana, CA	44.00	109	166	88	166	57	176
158	Philadelphia, PA	43.95	152	126	155	59	179	6
159	Fresno, CA	43.89	173	151	98	186	27	30
160	Honolulu, HI	43.88	199	135	55	112	85	137
161	Killeen, TX	43.83	106	41	153	152	196	111
162	Fort Worth, TX	43.73	54	84	179	150	192	123
163	Anaheim, CA	43.69	178	181	116	92	35	142
164	Riverside, CA	43.63	135	170	92	178	46	87
165	Fort Lauderdale, FL	43.49	144	68	146	183	168	29
166	Norfolk, VA	43.36	177	106	131	103	185	184
167	Dallas, TX	43.23	148	82	166	127	189	109
168	Clarksville, TN	43.21	74	35	186	90	198	80
169	Oceanside, CA	43.16	137	178	105	170	44	70
170	Garland, TX	43.16	123	93	193	53	194	15
171	Pomona, CA	42.90	188	173	91	128	47	117
172	North Las Vegas, NV	42.83	112	124	187	76	109	36
173	Garden Grove, CA	42.67	164	185	139	139	37	177
174	Stockton, CA	42.64	140	150	96	193	58	87
175	Port St. Lucie, FL	42.64	55	115	163	184	193	182
176	Houston, TX	42.52	155	78	150	168	186	41
177	Midland, TX	42.41	17	43	200	102	200	89
178	McAllen, TX	42.38	141	30	192	181	160	160
179	Spring Valley, NV	42.26	124	140	183	147	89	99
180	Bridgeport, CT	42.16	195	152	168	172	12	73
181	Hialeah, FL	42.04	181	86	172	123	184	127
182	Long Beach, CA	41.89	170	188	123	169	38	47
183	Grand Prairie, TX	41.78	60	94	185	180	195	133
184	Paradise, NV	41.51	163	140	184	129	87	55
185	Oxnard, CA	41.03	180	180	148	159	42	175
186	Santa Ana, CA	40.96	191	182	180	86	31	181
187	Mesquite, TX	40.86	89	77	198	88	197	78
188	Laredo, TX	40.72	151	53	182	194	180	165
189	Fayetteville, NC	40.45	189	46	94	198	113	150
190	Los Angeles, CA	40.13	194	189	113	187	34	2
191	San Bernardino, CA	39.99	186	163	137	188	51	82
192	Moreno Valley, CA	39.96	166	160	136	190	62	148
193	Paterson, NJ	39.68	198	156	199	132	10	128
194	Palmdale, CA	39.37	115	187	151	177	66	99
195	Ontario, CA	39.03	169	158	142	200	54	107
196	Newark, NJ	38.87	196	153	197	146	18	18
197	Brownsville, TX	38.87	183	18	195	197	170	156
198	Lancaster, CA	38.09	118	155	188	199	56	189
199	Detroit, MI	37.39	200	102	196	173	156	77
200	Sunrise Manor, NV	36.88	182	140	194	176	110	35

2022's Best Cities for Single Dads Infographic is based on the amount of single dads, childcare workers, babysitting cost, and more!

Highlights and Lowlights

Suburbs — the Smart, Affordable Choice

It’s clear from our top 10 that ’burbs are best for single dads and their kids. Life tends to move at a slower pace in these sprawling, less populated cities, such as Naperville, Illinois (No. 1), Frisco, Texas (No. 6), and Irvine, California (No. 10).

For one, these smaller cities are among the most affordable: Each dollar Dad earns goes further in these cities than in others when measured against the local cost of living.

Academics, however, is where these suburbs deserve the highest marks. Half of our top 10 cities also tied for first place in Public Schools Quality, and six of them also have the highest shares of college-educated men.

So, if you’re a brainy single dad, think ’burbs.

Regular Chart Toppers

Some suburbs share a family trait — that is, they’re family-friendly in general, not just toward unhitched dads.

Chicago suburb Naperville, Illinois (No. 1), and Seattle’s eastern neighbor Bellevue, Washington (No. 7), for example, are consistently at the top of our family- and pet-themed rankings, such as our studies on the best cities for new moms, marital longevity, cat lovers, and dog parents.

Overland Park, Kansas (No. 2), which is part of the Greater Kansas City metro area, and Cary, North Carolina (No. 5), on the outskirts of Raleigh, are also usual strong finishers in these series.

If Pops decides to pop the big question to a special someone down the road — or adopt a four-legged child — he and the kids can simply stay put.

Regional Child Care

Both the South and Midwest are known for their warmth, but that’s not why these two regions dominated the Child Care category — child care services are simply cheaper here.

Nearly our entire top 50 cities for Child Care are located in these two regions, with Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the very top. The three exceptions include Salt Lake City (No. 39), Scottsdale, Arizona (No. 44), and Buffalo, New York (No. 48).

The rest of the country occupies the rear half of these child rearing metrics, with California cities filling out most of the 10 worst spots. Nearly everything is more expensive in the Golden State, especially record gas prices.

This cost of parenting trend is generally consistent with the cost of living indices in these regions. The East and West tend to be the most expensive, while the South and Midwest are more affordable.

(A)lone Star State

If you want to spend regular quality time with the little ones, you might want to avoid Texas — except Frisco (No. 6), McKinney (No. 11), and Plano (No. 12).

Lone Star State cities make up seven of our bottom 10 cities in the Work-Life Balance category. That number doubles when we expand to the bottom 25, with Midland coming in last — in the nation, not just in Texas. Men in this state work some of the longest hours in the country.

And when it comes to state legal protections for working dads, well — there are none: no paid leave, no wage replacement, no sick leave for child care, and no time off for their kids’ school events. In Texas’ defense, several other states also lag behind in providing those benefits.

Ask The Experts

Single dads juggling working and caring for the kids may also be stressing out or struggling financially. In the Best Cities for Single Dads, there are more support groups, social programs, and government incentives to help.

We reached out to some experts to find those resources and weigh in on other family matters.

What are the best ways for single dads to find social and emotional support if they don’t have a strong network?
What less familiar government incentives or social programs are available to single dads (or single parents in general) struggling financially?
How are societal pressures and expectations different for single dads vs. single moms?
What are some meaningful ways that busy single dads can spend more time with their kids?

Alicia Pieper

Assistant Professor

Daniel J. Puhlman Ph.D., C-LMFT

Assistant Professor of Family Studies, College of Education and Human Development

Allen Sabey, Ph.D., LMFT

Core Faculty, Marriage & Family Therapy Program, Therapist, The Family Institute

Alicia Pieper

Assistant Professor

Kent State University

Alicia Pieper

Assistant Professor

Kent State University

What are the best ways for single dads to find social and emotional support if they don’t have a strong network?

Develop their own support organizations. Find other single fathers with similar problems. Single mothers have had support organizations for years. Men need to create similar organizations.

How are societal pressures and expectations different for single dads vs. single moms?

Most women are socialized to be self-supporting, independent, but also “motherly.”

Men are socialized to be “manly” to be strong, aggressive, protective, a “take charge” mentality. Men are teased if they “act like a girl.”

A single father is going to have to learn how to be nurturing, to show emotions, to be “motherly” when they become a single father.

What are some meaningful ways that busy single dads can spend more time with their kids?

Encourage their employer to allow them to work part-time from home.
Be willing to spend their free time with child-oriented activities rather than participating in free time with their buddies.
Give up working overtime or accepting promotions that will require more time.
Participate in volunteering at school.
Start their own company, which will allow them to work at home.
Take the child to work with them if it is safe.
When doing household tasks, encourage the kids to help (many young kids love to “help” their parents).

Daniel J. Puhlman Ph.D., C-LMFT

Assistant Professor of Family Studies, College of Education and Human Development

University of Maine

Daniel J. Puhlman Ph.D., C-LMFT

Assistant Professor of Family Studies, College of Education and Human Development

University of Maine

What are the best ways for single dads to find social and emotional support if they don’t have a strong network?

For single Dads, creating a support network around their children can be incredibly helpful. Men tend to center friendships and social networks around activities like sports, business, games, etc., where conversations and interactions are built around a common experience.

Getting involved in activities in which their children are involved is a great way to build a network. Single dads can introduce their children to their own personal interests and support their children’s growth and learning in these activities based on their own skill sets and abilities.

Coaching or volunteering in activities also provide opportunities to connect with other dads and like-minded individuals.

Attending events focused on children and engaging with other parents can be instrumental in connecting with others in meaningful ways.

There are of course more structured activities and supports (i.e. support groups, parenting classes, clubs, etc.) that bring together single fathers often provided by social-service agencies that can be excellent ways for fathers to engage with other like-minded individuals, as well.

What less familiar government incentives or social programs are available to single dads (or single parents in general) struggling financially?

Every state and local municipality varies in the extent to which programs are available to fathers. Unfortunately, father-focused programming is lacking across the board, although some communities are better than others.

I suggest reaching out to the professionals in the local organizations and searching websites to see what is available in each specific community. Families or fathers with lower incomes have more resources available to them, especially financially, and it would be valuable to reach out to your local health and human services departments to see what is available and what criteria are needed to participate in the programs.

How are societal pressures and expectations different for single dads vs. single moms?

Fortunately, the climate on this topic is shifting. Historically, single fathers were not as common as today, and the single parenting world was pretty well dominated by single moms.

As more fathers are taking active roles in their children’s lives independent of the involvement of their ex-partners, single-fathering has become less taboo. In some ways single fathers have been given more credit for their involvement with their children.

Mothers are often assumed to be actively involved with their kids and being a single parent is expected, whereas fathers who step up as single parents have been an exception rather than a rule.

Many single fathers report being approached with compliments and surprise at their engagement with their children, which, while helpful, can be off-putting to some fathers, suggesting that their involvement as a father is optional.

What are some meaningful ways that busy single dads can spend more time with their kids?

The key for busy single fathers to better engage with children is to structure their lives and activities around the needs and interests of their children.

If fatherhood is central to a man’s identity, they will be more likely to arrange their lives in ways that make sense to be a more engaged father, and sometimes that is very challenging and requires sacrifice. Sometimes this can mean taking a less active role in their careers and making active sacrifices to be present for their kids.

Maybe careers and jobs that require frequent travel, burdensome performance expectations, or have poor family policies are not the best fit for single fathers who want to be actively involved. This can be challenging for some careers and so other strategies may be more beneficial.

I suggested getting involved as coaches or volunteers for children’s activities in a previous question, which I think applies to this one, as well.

Participating in activities with children or setting up activities that are natural and organic to the needs of the family environment can be helpful. Letting kids participate in activities, such as home maintenance, car repairs, or lawn care, can be great ways to accomplish needed tasks, teach your children life skills, and build a strong relationship with them.

Allen Sabey, Ph.D., LMFT

Core Faculty, Marriage & Family Therapy Program, Therapist, The Family Institute

Northwestern University

Allen Sabey, Ph.D., LMFT

Core Faculty, Marriage & Family Therapy Program, Therapist, The Family Institute

Northwestern University

What are the best ways for single dads to find social and emotional support if they don’t have a strong network?

Single dads often have a lot of roles and responsibilities, and they can find it difficult to take care of themselves as much as they do for others. So, it’s a feat for some to just acknowledge that they need social and emotional support. That’s often the hardest step.

Once single dads are aware that they need more support than they currently have, consider if there are any friendships that could be strengthened by initiating doing things together or calling to talk.

There is a socialized barrier that many men feel that prevents men from expressing or acting on their desire for stronger and deeper friendships.

Men who are looking for social and emotional support can trust that there are many men who feel similarly, but who may be equally reluctant to reach out.

There are also some wonderful organizations around that are explicitly aimed at creating and strengthening friendships for men, including the Mankind Project and Everyman.

How are societal pressures and expectations different for single dads vs. single moms?

As I mentioned above, it is generally more natural for women (e.g., single moms) to reach out to a friend for support. But that is just societal conditioning.

Men and single dads need just as much support just as women and single moms, but dads are often more reluctant to share that they are overwhelmed or struggling.

What are some meaningful ways that busy single dads can spend more time with their kids?

Research that I’ve conducted with young children and their parents indicated that, by far, the two best ways to show love and affection toward children is through physical and verbal expressions of love (e.g., “I love you,” “It’s so fun spending time together”) and through playing together. Play is how children communicate, and there are endless ways of playing together with children.

Single dads can make driving together into a game (e.g., take turns making up sentences to a story), bath time into a game (e.g., time how long they can hold their breath underwater), and eating meals into enjoyable conversation (e.g., ask if they could have a superpower, what would it be).

With teenagers, asking simple questions and just listening to understand (rather than quickly giving advice or trying to help them feel better about something) helps them to feel comfortable sharing and coming to their parents. It’s much more about the quality of time rather than the quantity of time.

Methodology

We ranked the 200 largest U.S. cities from best (No. 1) to worst (No. 200) for single dads based on their overall scores (out of 100 possible points), averaged across the weighted metrics below.

Metric	Weighting	Min. Value	Max. Value	Best
Affordability
Cost of Living	3	73	205	Min. Value
Median Annual Income for Working Men	3	$33,137	$124,424	Max. Value
Housing Affordability for Male Workers	2	23.1	73.3	Max. Value
Copays as a Share of Household Income	1	0%	22%	Min. Value
Share of Working Men in Poverty	2	2.0%	18.5%	Min. Value
Share of Children Under 18 in Poverty	2	3.4%	48.4%	Min. Value
Child Care
Baby Supply Stores per 100,000 Residents	1	0	7	Max. Value
Child Care Workers per 100,000 Residents	2	58	494	Max. Value
Hourly Cost of Babysitter	2	$11.50	$20.50	Min. Value
Annual Cost of Child Care	3	$5,864	$24,081	Min. Value
Health and Education
Hospitals per 100,000 Residents	2	0	6	Max. Value
Quality of Public Hospitals	3	50	87	Max. Value
Family Practitioners per 100,000 Residents	2	5	132	Max. Value
Share of Uninsured Children	2	0.5%	12.0%	Min. Value
Food Insecurity Rate	1	5.4%	18.0%	Min. Value
Quality of Public Schools	3	5.5	10.5	Max. Value
Home and Outdoors
Median Air Quality Index	1	25	101	Min. Value
Walk Score	1	12	97	Max. Value
Pedestrian Fatalities per 100,000 Residents	1	0	11	Min. Value
Average Yard Square Footage	1	776	19,855	Max. Value
Percentage of Residents Within 10-Minute Walk of a Park	2	10%	100%	Max. Value
Percentage of Land Used for Parks and Recreation	2	0%	80%	Max. Value
Crime Index	2	0	85	Max. Value
Water Quality Violations Present (1=Yes, 0=No)	1	0	1	Min. Value
Share of Homes with Severe Housing Problems	2	9.6%	32.4%	Min. Value
Work-Life Balance
Average Length of Work Week (in Hours) for Men	3	37	46	Min. Value
Average Commute Time (in Minutes) for Men	2	17	47	Min. Value
Share of Men with College Degree	2	10.9%	75.9%	Max. Value
Maximum Length of Paid Family Leave Allowed (in Weeks)	2	0	12	Max. Value
Share of Wage Replacement	2	0	1	Max. Value
Availability of Job Protection in Paid Family Leave Policy (1=Yes, 0=No)	2	0	1	Max. Value
Availability of State Law Allowing Sick Leave for Child Care (1=Yes, 0=No)	2	0	1	Max. Value
Availability of Protected Time Off for School Events (1=Yes, 0=No)	2	0	1	Max. Value
Community Support
Single Dads per 100,000 Residents	1	342	1,618	Max. Value
Number of Fatherhood Programs	2	0	5	Max. Value
Dad Support Groups per 100,000 Single Dads	2	0	4	Max. Value

Sources: AreaVibes, Care.com, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Child Care Aware of America, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, LawnStarter Internal Data, Livability, Meetup, National Center for Children in Poverty, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse, NeighborhoodScout, Niche, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Trust for Public Land, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Walk Score, Workplace Fairness, and Yelp

Post-Pandemic Parenting

In recent years, paternal roles have changed, and attitudes about family have shifted, especially during the pandemic.

What hasn’t changed are the struggles of single parenting, like finding child care, relying on a single income, maintaining work-life balance, or holding a steady job.

Solo dads now juggle some of the same pre-pandemic responsibilities like putting in extra hours at work for additional income, taking the kids to dance or soccer practice, and prepping meals.

Doing all of that alone can leave dads vulnerable to stress and hardship.

That’s why support in every possible form is so important: Every bit of help — even clean air and a spacious yard for kids to run around and play while dad tries to get work done — can make a huge difference.

And you can help your dad, too. Mow his lawn for Father’s Day this June 19, or hire a LawnStarter pro to take that chore off his hands so you can spend more time with Pop this weekend.

Main Photo Credit: Shutterstock