A study has ranked US cities according to the financial and quality-of-life conditions faced by single mothers, including housing, childcare, safety, healthcare, employment and education. California cities dominated the bottom of the ranking, highlighting the difficulties caused by high living costs, although the article notes that both Democratic and Republican-leaning states appeared among the best and worst performers.

Fresno, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose and Los Angeles were among the lowest-ranked areas, with California’s median home value reported at about $764,000 and childcare costing roughly $1,200 to more than $2,800 a month. Worcester, Minneapolis–St Paul, Omaha, Hartford and Albany were identified as leading locations, while Vermont and the Dakotas performed strongly at state level; the study also stressed that family and community support can be as important as affordability.