The safest and most affordable suburbs in the USA
The best places to live with your family are often located on the outskirts of large cities, where you can afford a higher standard of living for less money, as well as wider access to places of rest. It is easy to understand why a suburban lifestyle can be attractive: suburban communities tend to be richer, more educated, and healthier than urban and rural ones.
To find the best suburbs in every state, GOBankingRates conducted a comprehensive study analyzing the cost of living, quality of schools and security in the suburban areas surrounding the country's largest cities. Factors in this study included:
- average house price and average monthly rent received from Zillow real estate site for May 2019;
- annual expenditures for food, healthcare, utilities and transportation, obtained from the Consumer Expenditure Survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2017-18;
- the quality of school districts;
- level of violent and property crimes on 1000 residents.
If you want to live in relative peace and comfort while still maintaining access to the best job opportunities from afar, choosing to live in the suburbs may be the right choice for your family—without breaking the bank. Here are a few states for which the study's authors selected the best suburbs. A complete list for all states can be found here.
California
- Los Angeles: Yorba Linda
- Sacramento: Rocklin
- San Diego: San Marcos
- San Francisco: Pleasanton
- San Jose: Cupertino
Housing in California is notoriously expensive. For example, the average home price in Cupertino is $1 and the average rent is $988 per month, both of which are the most expensive in their categories. However, the Golden State provides a strong foundation for your child's education. 888 of the 4 school districts in these California suburbs were rated top marks for overall quality.
On the subject: The most expensive and cheap US states to raise a child
Florida
- Jacksonville: Fleming Island
- Miami: Sunrise
- Orlando: Altamonte Springs
- Tampa: Sun City Center
Of all the best Florida suburbs included on the list, Altamonte Springs offers the cheapest housing, with a median home price of $188 and a median rent of $950 per month. If you're more concerned about safety, move to Sun City Center. The suburb has 1344 violent crimes and 0,77 property crimes per 6,29 residents, which is better than crime rates in Fleming Island, Sunrise and Altamonte Springs.
Illinois
- Chicago: Buffalo Grove
Chicago may be one of the best cities for a family. The upper suburb of Windy City, Buffalo Grove, ranks 4 in terms of the lowest violent crime rates and 5 in terms of the lowest real estate crime rates among all the listed suburbs. 0,24 violent crimes and 5,46 crimes against property on 1000 residents are committed here.
New Jersey
- Newark: Bergenfield
Compared to other suburbs around the country, Bergenfield is surprisingly safe. It ranks 2nd in crime rate with 0,07 violent crimes and 3,8 property crimes per 1000 residents. Additionally, the Bergenfield School District received a top rating for overall quality.
On the subject: US states with the highest and lowest real estate taxes
New York
- Buffalo: Lockport
- New York: Deer Park
Despite being located in the Empire State, which is known for its expensive housing, Lockport offers the lowest median home price of all the top suburbs included on the list. The average home in this Buffalo suburb costs just $117. By comparison, the median home price in Deer Park, a top New York City suburb, is significantly higher at $000.
Oregon
- Portland: Sherwood
Sherwood, Portland's main suburb, has 0,82 violent crimes and 11,71 property crimes per 1000 residents. The median home price in the area is $485 and the median monthly rent is $000. Residents can expect to spend an average of $2 per year on non-housing items such as food, healthcare, utilities and transportation.
Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia: Lansdale
- Pittsburgh: Plum
Pittsburgh's upper suburbs have 1000 property crimes per 4,55 residents, which has the 3rd highest real estate crime rate of any top suburb on the list. Plum is cheaper than Lansdale when it comes to cost of living. The North Penn School District in Lansdale boasts a phenomenal top score for overall quality, head and shoulders above the "good plus" rating received by the Plum Borough School District in Plum.
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