Updated November 2026. We went back to the ten places on our first family list. We added home values (Zillow ZHVI, September 2026) and free tools to check any town yourself.
The best places to raise a family in 2026 on our list are Plano, Raleigh, Fort Collins, Richardson, Moscow, San Antonio, Oak Park, Omaha, Fremont and Chula Vista, and the price gap between them is huge. As of September 2026, a typical home runs about $244,600 in San Antonio, Texas, and $1,439,800 in Fremont, California (Zillow ZHVI). The rest sit in between. The right pick depends on schools, safety, commute and budget, and you can check each one with free public data.
Found your town? Beycome’s buyer program has no upfront fee and credits part of the buyer-agent commission at closing where one is offered.
Jump to: 💲 Prices compared · 🏠 The 10 places · 🪜 Check a town yourself · 📊 Ranking sites · 🤝 Buying or selling · ❓ FAQ
Key takeaways
- Home values on our list range from $244,600 (San Antonio) to $1,439,800 (Fremont), per Zillow’s September 2026 index.
- Oak Park, Illinois rose 10.4% in a year, the fastest on the list; Plano fell 3.3%.
- Only 24% of 2025 home buyers had children under 18 at home, a historic low (NAR), so family-friendly towns compete with every other buyer.
- Buyers rank neighborhood quality first (59%); school district quality was cited by 14% (NAR, 2025).
How do the 10 best places to raise a family compare on price?
| Place | Typical home value, Sept. 2026 | Change in 1 year |
|---|---|---|
| Plano, TX | $497,700 | -3.3% |
| Raleigh, NC | $424,700 | -1.7% |
| Fort Collins, CO | $554,700 | 0.0% |
| Richardson, TX | $437,400 | +0.6% |
| Moscow, ID (metro area) | $475,300 | +1.3% |
| San Antonio, TX | $244,600 | -2.2% |
| Oak Park, IL | $480,400 | +10.4% |
| Omaha, NE (metro area) | $306,300 | +2.7% |
| Fremont, CA | $1,439,800 | -1.5% |
| Chula Vista, CA | $845,300 | +1.3% |
Values are Zillow’s typical home value for each city. For Moscow and Omaha we use the metro area. For comparison, NAR’s national median existing-home price was $417,500 in September 2026. Buying your first place rather than a family home? Compare US cities for first-time home buyers.
What are the 10 places, and why do families pick them?
1) Plano, Texas
Plano sits in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with family spots like Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, the Interurban Railway Museum and Historic Downtown Plano. It’s often named among the best to raise a family in Texas. Values eased 3.3% over the year, to $497,700, which gives buyers more room to negotiate.
Moving to Texas also means picking your own power company in most areas. The state’s Public Utility Commission runs Power to Choose to compare plans, and if a deposit is a hurdle, look at no deposit electricity in Texas options. Thinking of selling in Collin County? See our Plano flat fee MLS rankings.
2) Raleigh, North Carolina
Residents often say Raleigh keeps a small-town feel for a state capital. Families have the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Pullen Park and Marbles Kids Museum for weekends. At $424,700, the typical home is close to the national median. Browse homes for sale in Raleigh.
3) Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins in Colorado mixes a college town with easy access to the outdoors: Old Town, the Gardens on Spring Creek and Horsetooth Reservoir. Values were flat over the year, at $554,700.
4) Richardson, Texas
Richardson, just north of Dallas, offers parks like Prairie Creek Park and the Bluebonnet Trail, with Dallas jobs close by. Texas remains a popular move, and Richardson’s typical home sits at $437,400.
5) Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is home to the University of Idaho. It has a quiet, small-city pace, with the University of Idaho Arboretum and Botanical Garden, the Appaloosa Museum and Ghormley Park. Zillow’s metro figure for the area is $475,300.
6) San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the most affordable place on our list at $244,600. Families get the River Walk, the Alamo and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, plus room to grow. Like other Texas cities, it offers everything from downtown lofts to big suburban lots. See San Antonio homes for sale.
7) Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, a village just west of Chicago, is mostly single-family homes with good-sized apartments, which makes it a popular, safe place for family raising close to the city. Wonder Works Children’s Museum and Columbus Park are nearby. It’s also the hottest market on our list, up 10.4% in a year to $480,400. Selling nearby? Read our Chicago flat fee MLS guide.
8) Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha has big-city jobs at a lower price. Zillow’s metro value is $306,300. The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Lauritzen Gardens and the Omaha Children’s Museum are favorites with kids.
9) Fremont, California
Fremont in California is the priciest place on our list, at $1,439,800. It’s part of the Bay Area job market. Families head to Mission Peak, Lake Elizabeth and Aqua Adventure Water Park. Browse homes in Fremont.
10) Chula Vista, California
Chula Vista, California sits on San Diego Bay, with a mild climate and a diverse community. Aquatica San Diego and Border Field State Park are close by. The typical home is $845,300, well below Fremont but far above the Texas picks.
How can you check if a town is right for your family?
Rankings are a good start. Sites like Sperling’s BestPlaces, which many people search for by name, pull city data into one place. You can check the key things yourself, for free.
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Buy a home →- Schools: look up public schools, enrollment and student-teacher ratios with the federal NCES school search, then visit the district’s own site for boundaries.
- Safety: look up crime for your local police on the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer.
- Commute: drive the route at rush hour before you make an offer.
- Prices: compare recent sold homes, not list prices, and watch the one-year trend.
- Daily life: parks, libraries, child care and pediatricians within a short drive.
What buyers say matters most: in NAR’s 2025 profile, quality of the neighborhood (59%), being close to friends and family (47%) and overall affordability (35%) led the list. In Southern California, compare these family-friendly neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Only 14% named school district quality, though for parents of school-age kids it often decides everything. For more ways to use data, read using real estate data to make smarter decisions.
How should you use BestPlaces and other ranking sites?
Use them to build a shortlist, then check the shortlist yourself. Ranking sites, including Sperling’s BestPlaces, weigh things like cost of living, crime, climate and schools with their own formulas. Two sites can rank the same town very differently because they weigh those things differently, or use data from different years.
| What to check | What a ranking site gives you | Where to confirm it |
|---|---|---|
| Home prices | A citywide average or index | Recent sold homes on the streets you like |
| Schools | A score or grade | NCES school search, state report cards, the district’s boundary map |
| Safety | A crime index | The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer for your local police agency |
| Commute | Average travel time | The drive itself, at rush hour |
| Cost of living | An index against the US average | Property tax, insurance and utility quotes for a real address |
Our list takes a different angle from a ranking formula: ten places families already pick, with each one’s typical home value and one-year change side by side, so you see the price of each choice. The best place for your family is the one that fits your budget, your jobs and your kids’ schools, whatever a ranking says.
Are there good family towns in Florida and Texas too?
Yes. Our guides on why people keep moving to Florida, four Florida locations to invest in and why Texas is a good state to live and work cover two of the most popular moving destinations. Our best US suburbs to raise a family adds five more towns with prices.
How can you buy or sell in these places with Beycome?
Beycome lists in 17 states and DC, including Texas, North Carolina, Illinois and California, so seven of our ten places are covered. A flat fee MLS listing is $99 in most states ($129 in California and Illinois), with $0 to Beycome at closing. For Texas sellers, see our Texas flat fee MLS rankings; the Raleigh area has its own Raleigh rankings. Texas closings can go through Beycome Title, with a $299 settlement fee per side.
Buying your family’s next home? Beycome’s buyer program is open to every buyer on homes listed by other agents, in the states where we’re licensed, with no upfront fee. We keep 1% of the price (minimum $1,499) and credit the rest of the buyer-agent commission at closing, with lender approval. On a $400,000 home with 3% offered, that’s $8,000 back. The credit can’t apply where no buyer-agent commission is offered, like most FSBO homes, or on homes listed by Beycome sellers.
That 3% is an example only. Commissions are not set by law or by NAR rules, and they’re fully negotiable. Sellers choose whether to offer any buyer-agent compensation, and how much. Since August 17, 2024, those offers can’t be shown on the MLS.
Frequently asked questions about the best places to raise a family
What is the most affordable place on this list to raise a family?
San Antonio, Texas, where the typical home was worth $244,600 in September 2026 (Zillow ZHVI).
Which family-friendly place has the fastest rising home prices?
Oak Park, Illinois, up 10.4% in the year to September 2026, to a typical value of $480,400.
How do I check school quality before buying a home?
Look up schools on the federal NCES school search, check the district’s boundary map, read state report cards and visit the school if you can.
What do buyers look for when choosing a neighborhood?
A good area comes first for 59% of buyers. Being near friends and family (47%) and price (35%) come next (NAR, 2025).
Is BestPlaces a good source for picking a city?
Ranking sites are a handy start. Before you buy, check schools, crime, commute and sold prices yourself with public sources like NCES and the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer.
What are the best places to raise a family in 2026?
Our list: Plano, Raleigh, Fort Collins, Richardson, Moscow, San Antonio, Oak Park, Omaha, Fremont and Chula Vista. Typical values run from $244,600 to $1,439,800 (Zillow, September 2026).
Why do best places rankings disagree?
Each site weighs prices, crime, schools and climate with its own formula and data year. Use rankings for a shortlist, then check each town yourself.
Can Beycome help me buy a home in these cities?
In the states where Beycome is licensed, yes. The buyer program has no upfront fee and credits part of the buyer-agent commission at closing where one is offered.
Home values are Zillow’s ZHVI (all homes, smoothed, seasonally adjusted) for September 2026; Moscow and Omaha use metro-area values. Buyer survey figures are from NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers; the national median is NAR’s September 2026 figure. Attractions are listed for reference; check hours and fees locally.
Beycome prices as of November 2026. “$0 at closing” means no Beycome fee at closing; taxes, title costs and any agreed buyer-agent compensation still apply. Buyer program: no upfront fee; Beycome keeps 1% of the price, minimum $1,499, and credits the rest at closing, subject to the compensation offered and lender approval; not available on FSBO homes or homes listed by Beycome sellers. Beycome Title: Florida, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. General information, not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- Zillow Research, Zillow Home Value Index, September 2026, snapshot read October 27, 2026.
- NAR, 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, read October 27, 2026.
- NAR, September 2026 existing-home sales, read October 27, 2026.
- NCES, search for public schools, read October 27, 2026.
- Public Utility Commission of Texas, Power to Choose, read October 27, 2026.
- NAR, what the settlement means for buyers and sellers, read October 27, 2026.
- Beycome, buyer program, October 2026.
Disclosure & Disclaimer
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Articles are provided for general informational and educational purposes only, not as financial, tax, legal, or investment advice or a recommendation for your particular situation. Reading this blog does not create a brokerage, advisory, or other professional relationship.
Information, opinions, pricing, service descriptions, and comparisons reflect the sources and information available when an article was published or last updated and may change. Although we aim for accuracy, we do not guarantee that all content is complete, current, or applicable to your circumstances. Laws, market conditions, and service availability vary by location. Examples and estimated savings are illustrative, depend on stated assumptions, and do not guarantee individual results.
Verify relevant information directly and consult qualified professionals before making decisions. Beycome services are subject to applicable agreements, eligibility requirements, and state-specific terms.
