In May, WalletHub published an article ranking the Best & Worst Places to Raise a Family, but how does that data hold up for Augusta?
The finance news site used 45 metrics to compare 182 cities in the U.S. in five categories: family fun, health and safety, education and childcare, affordability and socioeconomics.
WalletHub assessed scores for each city in every category, and then calculated an overall score for a given city to determine its ranking in the list.
The top ranked five cities were, from last to first, Seattle, Wash. with a score of 64.14, Plano, Texas, Irvine, Calif., Overland Park, Kan. and the overall “best place” listed was Fremont, Calif., scored at 73.55.
San Bernardino, Calif. tied with Gulfport, Miss. ranked at 177, on the “worst” end of the rankings, both with a score of 39.07. Below them were Newark, N.J., Cleveland, Ohio, Detroit, Mich. and finally Memphis, Tenn., at 182, scoring 33.85.
Augusta is ranked at 173, with a score of 40.04, just below Baltimore and right above Jackson, Miss.
Each category was worth 20 points. To assess the metrics in each category, WalletHub pulled data from nearly 20 sources, ranging from government stats from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and County Health Rankings, to other ranking and review sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor and GreatSchools.org.
The 12 metrics applied to the health and safety category included measures such as air and water quality, access to healthy food, family homelessness and violent crime rate per capita.
Based on data compiled in 2019, County Health Rankings show Richmond County has an annual average density of 10.7 micrograms per cubic meter of fine particulate matter in the air. The Environmental Protection Agency has primary average standards of 12 micrograms per cubic meter. Data collected in 2022, however, indicated no health-related drinking violations in the area.
Using data from the USDA gathered in 2019 and 2021, County Health scores Richmond County’s food environment index—which measures food insecurity and access to healthy food— at 5.8, compared to a national average of 7.7 possible score of 10. The Georgia Dept. of Housing and Development’s (HUD) 2022 point-in-time count found more than 540 homeless persons, sheltered and unsheltered, in Augusta-Richmond County.
The National Center for Health Statistics data from 2015 to 2021 indicated an average of 15 homicide deaths per 100,000 people; and figures from 2017 to 2021 suggested 22 firearm fatalities per 100,000 people.
Socioeconomic metrics included Augusta stats for two-parent families: 51% of Augustan children lived in single-parent households, and 37.4% were in poverty, according to info compiled by the American Community Survey between 2018 and 2022. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4.2% of Augustans aged 16 were unemployed, but looking for work.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
