moveBuddha

Pittsburgh is Kidsburgh: No. 3 ranking of best cities for young families

We’ve always known it, but now the word is getting out more and more that Pittsburgh is a great place for kids and families.

MoveBuddha ranked 100 cities to see which rated the 2017 top places for young families. Pittsburgh came in third, behind Tampa, Fla., at No. 1, followed by Jersey City, N.J., at No. 2.

The numbers were crunched on six points. We’ve included Pittsburgh’s scores on each.

Rent on two-bedroom properties: $1,475 in Pittsburgh, compared to $3,273 in Jersey City, N.J.

Crime Index: 10/100, compared to 45/100 in Stamford, CT.

Unemployment rate: 5.5 percent, compared to 5.2 percent in Sacramento, Calif.

Students per classroom: 14, compared 29 to Anaheim, Calif.

Daycare per square mile: 10.74, compared to 4.4 in Raleigh, N.C.

Professional sports teams: 3, compared to zero for Boise, Idaho

MoveBuddha’s comments on our fair city:

“When you think of Pittsburgh you probably get the mental image of steelworkers clad in dust, right? Well, 1965 called and it wants its imagination back.

“Google, Apple, Bosch, Facebook, Uber, Nokia and IBM are just a sampling of the 1,600 tech firms that generate $20.7 billion in annual Pittsburgh worker earnings. Just recently Pittsburgh was ranked the sixth best area in the United States for job growth.

“So, we’ve established that Pittsburgh’s a great place to live and work as an adult. Well, it’s also a great place for kids! In 2015, it was ranked one of the most livable cities in the world, along with Toronto and Copenhagen.

“It has an incredible sports scene, with three perennially competitive teams. The school system is great, with some of the highest paid and most competent in the nation.”

As moving consultants, moveBuddha compares moving rates and services the same way online travel sites compares prices on airfare and hotels. Reference sources include heavyweight sources such as the U.S. Census, FBI Crime Reporting, and the U.S. Dept. of Education, along with the lighter fare of Yelp and RentalJungle.com.

For the complete guide to the Top 10 cities, click here.