The Most and Least Kid-Filled Cities

For years, many large cities have struggled to attract families with children. Some forego city living for houses out in the suburbs, favoring less expensive housing or larger living spaces. Others may balk at living in urban centers plagued by high crime rates or poor public schools.

Yet a handful of big cities across the country have a relatively large number of families. The latest Census estimates depict wide variation in the presence of families with children, ranging from more than half of all households in Laredo, Texas, to less than one in every five households in San Francisco and Seattle.

We’ve compiled a series of data contrasting the presence of families in cities, showing jurisdictions where they’re most and least common.

Families take into account a number of considerations when they’re deciding where to live, and many factors influence their presence in cities accordingly. One major determinant is a city’s housing stock. Some cities lack a supply of adequate housing with enough bedrooms to accommodate families. In the hottest housing markets, it’s the high price tag that frequently pushes lower- and middle-income families out of cities. (See our recent report on family housing in cities.)

One basic measure of families in cities is the Census Bureau’s estimated share of households with children under age 18. As of 2014, children occupied 32 percent of American households, a figure that's slowly declined over the past decade.

Of the 100 most populated cities, the only jurisdictions where children resided in more than half of households were Laredo, Texas, and Santa Ana, Calif. Nearly all cities where they're most prevalent are found in California, Texas and Arizona.

City	Households with Children Share	Total Households	Households with Children Under 18	Margin of Error (+/-)
Laredo, Texas	55.3%	66,985	37,065	1,584
Santa Ana, California	51.1%	78,068	39,863	2,033
Gilbert, Arizona	49.5%	72,417	35,878	1,448
Fremont, California	46.4%	73,007	33,868	1,754
Bakersfield, California	45.6%	114,774	52,316	2,591
Chula Vista, California	44.8%	78,058	34,961	2,010
Stockton, California	43.9%	95,166	41,804	2,016
Anaheim, California	42.2%	99,402	41,946	2,491
Fresno, California	41.4%	163,875	67,911	2,685
Irving, Texas	41.4%	84,734	35,097	1,755
Riverside, California	41.1%	90,204	37,083	1,988
Newark, New Jersey	40.7%	89,182	36,266	2,145
Garland, Texas	40.4%	75,775	30,580	1,908
Chesapeake, Virginia	39.9%	83,904	33,494	2,087
Fort Worth, Texas	39.5%	281,924	111,221	3,579
North Las Vegas, Nevada	39.1%	72,412	28,312	1,574
El Paso, Texas	39.0%	218,127	85,101	3,648
San Jose, California	39.0%	312,227	121,648	3,090
Glendale, Arizona	37.7%	77,424	29,222	1,662
Plano, Texas	37.5%	104,535	39,225	2,206
Chandler, Arizona	37.1%	88,216	32,761	1,904
Arlington, Texas	36.9%	135,093	49,909	2,323
Irvine, California	36.8%	90,513	33,309	2,421
Aurora, Colorado	36.8%	126,677	46,595	1,845
Virginia Beach, Virginia	36.4%	167,008	60,822	2,372
Anchorage, Alaska	35.7%	104,683	37,394	2,105
San Antonio, Texas	35.3%	492,940	174,246	5,891
Phoenix, Arizona	34.9%	532,210	185,648	5,087
Corpus Christi, Texas	34.6%	117,685	40,706	2,644
Wichita, Kansas	34.3%	149,920	51,465	2,531
Hialeah, Florida	33.8%	68,027	23,025	1,454
Long Beach, California	33.8%	161,870	54,656	2,081
Dallas, Texas	33.5%	484,335	162,412	4,099
Houston, Texas	32.9%	834,204	274,231	6,849
Charlotte, North Carolina	32.9%	310,106	101,879	3,750
Las Vegas, Nevada	32.7%	212,742	69,605	2,807
Milwaukee, Wisconsin	32.7%	233,161	76,237	2,583
Sacramento, California	32.3%	177,553	57,423	2,363
St. Paul, Minnesota	32.2%	110,978	35,696	1,964
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	31.9%	237,213	75,773	3,449
Colorado Springs, Colorado	31.8%	174,943	55,696	2,896
Fort Wayne, Indiana	31.6%	100,239	31,641	2,251
Jersey City, New Jersey	31.5%	98,873	31,101	2,100
Los Angeles, California	31.3%	1,343,084	419,928	7,872
Raleigh, North Carolina	31.2%	173,456	54,136	3,496
Winston-Salem, North Carolina	31.1%	95,771	29,832	2,093
Lubbock, Texas	31.1%	94,682	29,423	2,318
Mesa, Arizona	31.0%	170,193	52,811	2,225
Lincoln, Nebraska	30.9%	108,954	33,638	2,011
Norfolk, Virginia	30.6%	87,760	26,848	1,797
Albuquerque, New Mexico	30.5%	219,867	66,994	3,061
Tulsa, Oklahoma	30.2%	165,817	50,127	1,791
Jacksonville, Florida	30.2%	320,809	96,924	4,608
Omaha, Nebraska	30.2%	174,747	52,698	2,190
San Diego, California	30.1%	493,446	148,655	4,762
Detroit, Michigan	30.0%	253,490	76,110	2,884
Memphis, Tennessee	29.8%	250,553	74,701	2,922
Oakland, California	29.7%	156,724	46,608	2,334
Columbus, Ohio	29.7%	339,145	100,631	4,131
Nashville, Tennessee	29.6%	258,263	76,425	4,007
New York, New York	29.5%	3,148,067	928,471	10,625
Greensboro, North Carolina	29.3%	113,350	33,161	2,443
Buffalo, New York	29.0%	110,070	31,888	1,890
Lexington, Kentucky	28.9%	127,412	36,763	2,128
Louisville, Kentucky	28.7%	244,583	70,276	3,130
Toledo, Ohio	28.7%	116,450	33,427	2,100
Indianapolis, Indiana	28.6%	328,526	93,796	3,610
Reno, Nevada	28.4%	92,608	26,289	1,579
Chicago, Illinois	28.3%	1,031,672	292,186	5,093
Tucson, Arizona	27.6%	204,262	56,348	3,041
Austin, Texas	27.4%	360,996	98,977	4,283
Kansas City, Missouri	27.4%	195,125	53,446	2,774
Cleveland, Ohio	27.3%	165,984	45,356	2,374
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	27.1%	577,862	156,822	5,249
Tampa, Florida	27.0%	140,429	37,962	2,056
Durham, North Carolina	27.0%	104,830	28,332	2,552
Orlando, Florida	26.8%	109,685	29,347	2,442
Baltimore, Maryland	26.6%	238,897	63,634	3,470
Denver, Colorado	26.6%	281,928	74,971	3,052
Henderson, Nevada	26.5%	107,007	28,409	1,912
Paradise, Nevada	25.5%	91,155	23,281	1,945
Portland, Oregon	25.2%	257,267	64,750	3,035
Miami, Florida	25.0%	158,039	39,432	2,529
Honolulu, Hawaii	24.7%	127,394	31,506	1,715
Baton Rouge, Louisiana	23.9%	91,034	21,766	2,073
Richmond, Virginia	23.7%	88,421	20,986	1,874
Minneapolis, Minnesota	23.6%	169,306	39,993	2,314
St. Louis, Missouri	23.3%	137,784	32,058	2,324
Madison, Wisconsin	22.9%	103,771	23,782	1,491
Cincinnati, Ohio	22.7%	137,197	31,130	2,588
New Orleans, Louisiana	22.4%	152,788	34,271	2,163
Boston, Massachusetts	22.4%	253,749	56,852	2,955
Arlington, Virginia	21.3%	100,732	21,490	2,063
St. Petersburg, Florida	21.2%	103,519	21,943	1,972
Atlanta, Georgia	20.7%	189,431	39,269	2,442
Washington, DC	20.4%	277,378	56,554	3,061
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	19.6%	131,112	25,733	1,847
Seattle, Washington	19.6%	304,564	59,543	2,969
Scottsdale, Arizona	19.0%	102,535	19,438	1,691
San Francisco, California	17.8%	353,406	62,779	3,696

SOURCE: Governing calculations of 2014 American Community Survey data for 100 largest cities. Note that some cities have higher margins of error as these are one-year estimates.
Part of the differences have to do with demographics. Hispanic households, in particular, are more likely to have children since Hispanic women have far higher birth rates than other demographic groups. In eight of the top 10 cities with the most households with children, Hispanics make up more than 40 percent of the population.

Laredo, for example, sits just across the border from Mexico, and 95 percent of its residents are Hispanic. Suburban sprawl also isn’t as much of an issue there as in some of the more developed urban regions elsewhere.

Conversely, cities tend to have fewer children if they’re home to more retirees or older households. This likely plays a role in places like Scottsdale, Ariz., and Pittsburgh -- two cities with relatively large populations over age 60.

Part of how cities fare in the years to come will depend on whether Millennials, who flocked to urban areas in recent years, migrate to suburbs. Demographers and city officials have offered different reports so far. In the District of Columbia, an analysis of tax returns showed that new parents were more likely to leave than other residents during the first four years after having their first child.

A distinction should also be made between densely populated urban centers and larger cities that are more suburban in nature like Gilbert, Ariz., an affluent suburb of Phoenix, where nearly half of all households have children, just behind Laredo and Santa Ana.

By contrast, most jurisdictions where children are least likely to reside are either densely populated northern cities surrounded by sprawling suburbs or high-cost coastal cities.

For a look at differences across more similar jurisdictions, here’s a comparison of the 50 largest cities, grouped by population density:

City	Density	Share With Children		City	Density	Share With Children
Density: 10,000+ / sq. mile
New York	28,056	29.5%		Boston	13,589	22.4%
Chicago	11,960	28.3%		Washington, DC	10,793	20.4%
Philadelphia	11,635	27.1%		San Francisco	18,187	17.8%
Miami	11,997	25.0%
Density: 5,000-9,999 / sq. mile
San Jose	5,754	39.0%		Cleveland	5,013	27.3%
Long Beach, Calif.	9,417	33.8%		Baltimore	7,694	26.6%
Milwaukee	6,238	32.7%		Minneapolis	7,544	23.6%
Los Angeles	8,383	31.3%		Seattle	7,962	19.6%
Density: 3,000-4,999 / sq. mile
Fresno, Calif.	4,609	41.4%		Omaha	3,514	30.2%
San Antonio	3,117	35.3%		San Diego	4,247	30.1%
Dallas	3,762	33.5%		Detroit	4,903	30.0%
Houston	3,737	32.9%		Columbus	3,851	29.7%
Las Vegas	4,518	32.7%		Austin	3,064	27.4%
Sacramento	4,955	32.3%		Denver	4,339	26.6%
Raleigh	3,078	31.2%		Portland, Ore.	4,643	25.2%
Mesa	3,405	31.0%		Atlanta	3,425	20.7%
Density: <3,000 / sq. mile
Fort Worth	2,391	39.5%		Tulsa	2,029	30.2%
El Paso	2,660	39.0%		Jacksonville	1,142	30.2%
Virginia Beach	1,811	36.4%		Memphis	2,085	29.8%
Phoenix	2,975	34.9%		Nashville	1,355	29.6%
Wichita	2,438	34.3%		Louisville	1,884	28.7%
Charlotte	2,721	32.9%		Indianapolis	2,355	28.6%
Oklahoma City	1,023	31.9%		Tucson	2,329	27.6%
Colorado Springs	2,292	31.8%		Kansas City, Mo.	1,495	27.4%
Albuquerque	2,968	30.5%		New Orleans	2,268	22.4%

SOURCE: Governing calculations of 2014 Census estimates. Population densities refer to square miles of land area.
Cities such as San Jose and Fresno, Calif., are both characterized by relatively high concentrations of families with children given their population densities. By comparison, less than a quarter of households have children in Atlanta and New Orleans, despite the fact that those cities aren’t as dense. 

New York might best be considered in its own separate category given how much both its population and density dwarf all other cities. The city’s diverse demographics, along with the large number of rent-controlled apartments that make living in the city affordable for many families who would otherwise be priced out, likely help boost New York's totals. 

One more way to gauge how well cities appeal to families is to compare them to their surrounding jurisdictions.

Significant disparities in the presence of families exist in some regions. As one would expect, these tend to be particularly evident in the nation’s most expensive cities. In the San Francisco metro area, for example, households are about twice as likely to have children if they’re located outside the city. Seattle officials have similarly long sought to boost the city's supply of affordable family housing.

A different set of factors are at play in Atlanta, which trailed its metro area more than any other city reviewed (in terms of percentage-point differences). Families with children account for just over one-fifth of city households, compared to 38 percent for the rest of the metro area. One contributing factor is likely suburban sprawl: The region ranked as the second most sprawling metro area nationally in a Smart Growth for America report last year.

Of course, a litany of other considerations, such as the quality of schools, built environment and proximity to jobs further influence how well cities attract and retain families.

This table shows differences in shares of city households with children compared to surrounding metro areas (with city data subtracted). Census estimates are shown for metro areas' largest cities.

City	Percentage Point Difference	City Households With Children	MSA Households Outside City With Children	MSA Households Outside City	MSA Households Outside City With Children
Atlanta, Georgia	-17.5	20.7%	38.3%	1,792,016	685,902
San Francisco, California	-16.5	17.8%	34.3%	1,312,519	449,771
Honolulu, Hawaii	-16.3	24.7%	41.1%	181,608	74,552
Washington, DC	-15.9	20.4%	36.2%	1,876,769	680,236
Seattle, Washington	-13.9	19.6%	33.5%	1,101,695	368,917
Austin, Texas	-11.9	27.4%	39.3%	342,980	134,777
Baton Rouge, Louisiana	-11.5	23.9%	35.4%	214,062	75,744
Raleigh, North Carolina	-10.6	31.2%	41.8%	284,091	118,666
Cincinnati, Ohio	-10.3	22.7%	33.0%	691,945	228,500
Houston, Texas	-9.5	32.9%	42.4%	1,391,919	589,488
Minneapolis, Minnesota	-9.4	23.6%	33.0%	1,167,957	385,542
Madison, Wisconsin	-9.2	22.9%	32.2%	155,600	50,029
New Orleans, Louisiana	-9.1	22.4%	31.5%	321,927	101,390
Boston, Massachusetts	-9.0	22.4%	31.4%	1,524,068	479,091
Richmond, Virginia	-8.9	23.7%	32.6%	385,582	125,839
Portland, Oregon	-8.6	25.2%	33.8%	637,534	215,371
Denver, Colorado	-8.2	26.6%	34.8%	772,443	269,104
Memphis, Tennessee	-8.0	29.8%	37.8%	242,776	91,753
St. Louis, Missouri	-7.8	23.3%	31.1%	958,416	298,206
Indianapolis, Indiana	-7.5	28.6%	36.1%	416,239	150,171
Nashville, Tennessee	-7.4	29.6%	37.0%	416,402	154,103
San Diego, California	-7.2	30.1%	37.4%	607,412	226,988
Chicago, Illinois	-6.8	28.3%	35.1%	2,410,502	846,634
Tulsa, Oklahoma	-6.7	30.2%	37.0%	209,973	77,638
Omaha, Nebraska	-6.7	30.2%	36.8%	171,536	63,137
Kansas City, Missouri	-6.6	27.4%	34.0%	604,910	205,715
Dallas, Texas	-6.4	33.5%	39.9%	1,960,904	782,710
Baltimore, Maryland	-6.4	26.6%	33.0%	793,707	262,002
Miami, Florida	-6.2	25.0%	31.1%	1,889,286	588,454
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	-6.1	19.6%	25.8%	860,839	221,879
Lexington, Kentucky	-6.1	28.9%	34.9%	69,304	24,218
Columbus, Ohio	-6.0	29.7%	35.7%	425,250	151,894
Los Angeles, California	-5.4	31.3%	36.7%	2,944,890	1,079,375
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	-4.8	27.1%	31.9%	1,652,945	527,847
New York, New York	-4.8	29.5%	34.3%	4,004,693	1,371,877
Orlando, Florida	-4.2	26.8%	31.0%	690,614	213,865
Fort Wayne, Indiana	-3.7	31.6%	35.3%	62,900	22,182
Durham, North Carolina	-3.1	27.0%	30.1%	108,333	32,591
Reno, Nevada	-2.9	28.4%	31.3%	76,255	23,874
Louisville, Kentucky	-2.8	28.7%	31.6%	249,390	78,686
San Antonio, Texas	-2.8	35.3%	38.1%	293,520	111,864
Jacksonville, Florida	-2.2	30.2%	32.4%	208,184	67,513
Charlotte, North Carolina	-2.2	32.9%	35.0%	573,175	200,660
Greensboro, North Carolina	-2.1	29.3%	31.4%	176,100	55,265
Albuquerque, New Mexico	-1.7	30.5%	32.2%	122,685	39,444
Toledo, Ohio	-1.6	28.7%	30.3%	126,502	38,380
Sacramento, California	-1.3	32.3%	33.7%	620,071	208,882
Fresno, California	-1.3	41.4%	42.7%	134,118	57,309
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	-1.2	31.9%	33.2%	262,665	87,103
Wichita, Kansas	-0.6	34.3%	34.9%	90,310	31,518
Detroit, Michigan	-0.5	30.0%	30.6%	1,401,094	428,376
Bakersfield, California	-0.5	45.6%	46.1%	146,361	67,443
Tucson, Arizona	-0.3	27.6%	27.9%	185,475	51,749
Riverside, California	-0.3	41.1%	41.4%	1,227,446	508,231
Cleveland, Ohio	-0.2	27.3%	27.5%	682,509	187,877
Stockton, California	0.6	43.9%	43.3%	126,708	54,868
Tampa, Florida	1.0	27.0%	26.0%	1,009,306	262,372
Winston-Salem, North Carolina	1.5	31.1%	29.6%	161,228	47,795
Las Vegas, Nevada	1.9	32.7%	30.8%	518,580	159,854
San Jose, California	2.5	39.0%	36.5%	327,074	119,272
Milwaukee, Wisconsin	2.5	32.7%	30.2%	393,087	118,560
Buffalo, New York	2.9	29.0%	26.1%	360,494	94,028
Virginia Beach, Virginia	3.9	36.4%	32.5%	470,181	152,905
Phoenix, Arizona	3.9	34.9%	31.0%	1,058,030	327,574

SOURCE: Governing calculations of 2014 American Community Survey data. Data shown for most populous city in larger metro areas. Data was excluded for cities where households outside of the city account for less than one-third of metro area households.