While we may often think of mothers when we think of single parents, according to the latest Census data, some 20% of all parents without partners are fathers. Single fathers, whether divorced, separated, widowed, or never married, care for a total of about 3 million children nationwide.
In time for Father’s Day, June 18, 24/7 compiled a ranking of America’s best cities for single dads in 2023 by reviewing a study conducted by LawnStarter, a lawn care company that frequently conducts research into city and state amenities. The study compared the 200 largest U.S. cities based on 33 differently weighted metrics across six pertinent categories, drawing on data from 19 government and private sources and several of the site’s own previous studies. The categories included affordability, child care, health and education opportunities and rates, and community support (including fatherhood programs and single dad support groups). Home and outdoors factors (including air quality, proximity to parks, and crime index) and work-life balance (commuting time, paid fairly leave, etc.) were also considered.
At the No. 1 spot on our list is Bellevue, Washington. Amazon was founded in Bellevue by Jeff Bezos, and the city is home today to satellite offices for technology giants eBay, Oracle, Salesforce, Google, and Microsoft, all of which offer well-paying jobs. It is the only city on our list to appear in the top 10 in four categories: affordability, child care, health and education, and community support. (Single or otherwise, here are 10 jobs that make parenting manageable.)
Irvine, California, a major technology hub in Southern California and home to numerous colleges and universities, placed in the top ten for health and education and community support – and specifically took first place for the number of support groups for single dads
Naperville, Illinois, a Chicago suburb with a higher cost of living than many cities on our list, nevertheless topped the LawnStarter list in affordability, but also came in at No. 1 for in the child care and home and outdoor categories. (These are the states where families pay the most for child care.)
Sixteen states placed cities on the list, but California had the lion’s share with 13, including five in the top 10. Like Bellevue, California cities Sunnyvale and Fremont have many good-paying jobs because of their proximity to high tech jobs – in this case in Silicon Valley.
35. Olathe, Kansas
> Overall score: 48.32
> Affordability rank: 10/200
> Child care rank: 22/200
> Health and education rank: 30/200
> Community support rank: 138/200
34. McKinney, Texas
> Overall score: 48.38
> Affordability rank: 7/200
> Child care rank: 3/200
> Health and education rank: 16/200
> Community support rank: 110/200
33. Boise City, Idaho
> Overall score: 48.58
> Affordability rank: 31/200
> Child care rank: 45/200
> Health and education rank: 2/200
> Community support rank: 79/200
32. Denver, Colorado
> Overall score: 48.73
> Affordability rank: 43/200
> Child care rank: 117/200
> Health and education rank: 70/200
> Community support rank: 2/200
31. Orange, California
> Overall score: 49.01
> Affordability rank: 93/200
> Child care rank: 74/200
> Health and education rank: 18/200
> Community support rank: 178/200
30. Syracuse, New York
> Overall score: 49.1
> Affordability rank: 193/200
> Child care rank: 158/200
> Health and education rank: 46/200
> Community support rank: 146/200
29. Fullerton, California
> Overall score: 49.31
> Affordability rank: 110/200
> Child care rank: 69/200
> Health and education rank: 43/200
> Community support rank: 85/200
28. Vancouver, Washington
> Overall score: 49.36
> Affordability rank: 72/200
> Child care rank: 150/200
> Health and education rank: 34/200
> Community support rank: 68/200
27. San Diego, California
> Overall score: 49.56
> Affordability rank: 95/200
> Child care rank: 142/200
> Health and education rank: 68/200
> Community support rank: 8/200
26. Providence, Rhode Island
> Overall score: 49.72
> Affordability rank: 168/200
> Child care rank: 116/200
> Health and education rank: 146/200
> Community support rank: 98/200
25. Spokane, Washington
> Overall score: 49.76
> Affordability rank: 68/200
> Child care rank: 169/200
> Health and education rank: 17/200
> Community support rank: 45/200
24. Jersey City, New Jersey
> Overall score: 49.89
> Affordability rank: 41/200
> Child care rank: 4/200
> Health and education rank: 187/200
> Community support rank: 161/200
23. Scottsdale, Arizona
> Overall score: 50.07
> Affordability rank: 5/200
> Child care rank: 6/200
> Health and education rank: 10/200
> Community support rank: 120/200
22. Madison, Wisconsin
> Overall score: 50.11
> Affordability rank: 83/200
> Child care rank: 54/200
> Health and education rank: 4/200
> Community support rank: 137/200
21. Santa Rosa, California
> Overall score: 50.49
> Affordability rank: 117/200
> Child care rank: 68/200
> Health and education rank: 15/200
> Community support rank: 142/200
20. Overland Park, Kansas
> Overall score: 50.56
> Affordability rank: 8/200
> Child care rank: 17/200
> Health and education rank: 7/200
> Community support rank: 103/200
19. Worcester, Massachusetts
> Overall score: 50.6
> Affordability rank: 170/200
> Child care rank: 194/200
> Health and education rank: 114/200
> Community support rank: 157/200
18. Huntington Beach, California
> Overall score: 50.72
> Affordability rank: 21/200
> Child care rank: 19/200
> Health and education rank: 115/200
> Community support rank: 129/200
17. San Jose, California
> Overall score: 50.83
> Affordability rank: 36/200
> Child care rank: 90/200
> Health and education rank: 94/200
> Community support rank: 119/200
16. Washington, D.C.
> Overall score: 51.25
> Affordability rank: 20/200
> Child care rank: 76/200
> Health and education rank: 150/200
> Community support rank: 28/200
15. Minneapolis, Minnesota
> Overall score: 51.29
> Affordability rank: 42/200
> Child care rank: 115/200
> Health and education rank: 56/200
> Community support rank: 23/200
14. Elk Grove, California
> Overall score: 51.35
> Affordability rank: 18/200
> Child care rank: 47/200
> Health and education rank: 40/200
> Community support rank: 148/200
13. Eugene, Oregon
> Overall score: 51.74
> Affordability rank: 182/200
> Child care rank: 84/200
> Health and education rank: 25/200
> Community support rank: 133/200
12. Frisco, Texas
> Overall score: 52.21
> Affordability rank: 2/200
> Child care rank: 2/200
> Health and education rank: 13/200
> Community support rank: 136/200
11. Torrance, California
> Overall score: 53.63
> Affordability rank: 32/200
> Child care rank: 7/200
> Health and education rank: 9/200
> Community support rank: 182/200
10. Boston, Massachusetts
> Overall score: 54.68
> Affordability rank: 153/200
> Child care rank: 140/200
> Health and education rank: 63/200
> Community support rank: 19/200
9. Portland, Oregon
> Overall score: 55.72
> Affordability rank: 82/200
> Child care rank: 39/200
> Health and education rank: 20/200
> Community support rank: 47/200
8. Seattle, Washington
> Overall score: 55.78
> Affordability rank: 16/200
> Child care rank: 27/200
> Health and education rank: 28/200
> Community support rank: 97/200
7. San Francisco, California
> Overall score: 56.43
> Affordability rank: 19/200
> Child care rank: 20/200
> Health and education rank: 24/200
> Community support rank: 44/200
6. Roseville, California
> Overall score: 56.96
> Affordability rank: 11/200
> Child care rank: 38/200
> Health and education rank: 8/200
> Community support rank: 42/200
5. Sunnyvale, California
> Overall score: 57.84
> Affordability rank: 6/200
> Child care rank: 8/200
> Health and education rank: 69/200
> Community support rank: 93/200
4. Fremont, California
> Overall score: 57.88
> Affordability rank: 9/200
> Child care rank: 18/200
> Health and education rank: 27/200
> Community support rank: 140/200
3. Naperville, Illinois
> Overall score: 60.02
> Affordability rank: 1/200
> Child care rank: 1/200
> Health and education rank: 11/200
> Community support rank: 20/200
2. Irvine, California
> Overall score: 60.9
> Affordability rank: 25/200
> Child care rank: 16/200
> Health and education rank: 6/200
> Community support rank: 3/200
1. Bellevue, Washington
> Overall score: 64.56
> Affordability rank: 3/200
> Child care rank: 5/200
> Health and education rank: 3/200
> Community support rank: 6/200