Republican states are best for starting a family
Married families are moving from states with high costs and a downward trend in marriages (such as New York, Illinois and Hawaii) to states with more family-friendly environments, lower taxes and affordable housing (such as South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi).
Reference image of a family.
By forming a strong and stable family, individuals are more likely to achieve the American dream. Moreover, this dream is healthier in states and communities where families thrive.
In that regard, the 2026 Family Structure Index recently released by the Center for Christian Virtue explained that declining marriages and family disintegration are hurting predominantly Democratic states, while Republican states are thriving with higher economic mobility, education and lower crime rates.
Also, the data shows that in recent years, the country has seen a decline in its Family Structure Index (FSI) score. This index is based on the year 2000, when the United States reached a value of 100, with 64% of working-age adults married, 68% of adolescents living with both parents married, and a total birth rate of 2.05 children per woman.
In 2010, the United States had an FSI score of 92.8, representing a 7.2% decline from the turn of the millennium. By 2024, the U.S. FSI score had fallen to 87.3.
The report detailed that family structure is currently strongest in the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains states (e.g., Utah and South Dakota). These regions tend to have higher marriage and birth rates.
More family-friendly states
The analysis also found that the high cost of housing is a major barrier to having children and starting a family. In states such as California and Hawaii, where housing costs between nine and 10 times the median wage, fertility rates are significantly lower.
The data on education is similar. States with higher levels of college education (such as New Jersey or Washington) tend to have more stable families because education often leads to higher-paying, more stable jobs that reduce family stress.
Does being a Christian influence building a family?
The report found that frequent attendance at religious services explains 57% of the variation in birth rates among states. States with high religious attendance, such as Utah and Mississippi, have much higher birth rates than less religious states, such as Vermont and Massachusetts.
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