According to WalletHub.com, the Cities of Brentwood and Oakley are two of the Top 25 Best Cities in the State of California to live in.
Recently, WallutHub released their 2015 Best & Worst Cities for California Families where Contra Costa County had 6 cities ranked in the top 25.
In East Contra Costa, the City of Oakley was ranked No. 20, while the City of Brentwood was right behind them ranked at No. 21st. Meanwhile, Antioch was ranked No. 171 with Pittsburg ranked No. 183.
The City of San Ramon was the highest ranked city in the county coming in at No. 3 while the City of Richmond was the lowest ranked Contra Costa city at 254.
According to WalltHub, the analysts searched for the Golden State cities that are most conducive to family life. We compared 240 cities in total across 22 key metrics. Our data set ranges from the number of attractions to the number of pediatricians per capita to unemployment rate.
Overall Rank. City Family Life & Fun Rank Education, Health & Safety Rank Affordability Rank Socioeconomic Environment Rank
Methodology
To help families find the best Golden State cities in which to put down roots, WalletHub compared 240 cities in California (other cities were not included in the sample due to limited data access) across four key dimensions: 1) Family Life & Fun, 2) Education, Health & Safety, 3) Affordability and 4) Socioeconomic Environment. We then compiled 22 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights.
In order to obtain the final ranking, we attributed a score between 0 and 100 to correspond with the value of each metric. We then calculated the weighted sum of the scores and used the overall score to rank the cities. Together, the points attributed to the four major categories below add up to 100 points.
Family Life & Fun – Total Points: 25
- Number of Playgrounds per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Number of Ice Rinks per 100,000 Residents: Half Weight (~1.92 Points)
- Number of Attractions (e.g., zoos, museums, theaters): Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Percentage of Families with Children Younger than Age 18: Double Weight (~7.69 Points)
- WalletHub “Weather” Ranking: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Average Commute Time: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
Education, Health & Safety – Total Points: 25
- Quality of School System: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
- High School Graduation Rate: Half Weight (~1.47 Points)
- Air Quality: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
- Number of Pediatricians per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
- Percentage of Children (newborn to age 18) Lacking Health Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
- Violent-Crime Rate per 100,000 Residents: Double Weight (~5.88 Points)
- Property-Crime Rate per 100,000 Residents: Double Weight (~5.88 Points)
Affordability – Total Points: 25
- Housing Affordability (median annual family income divided by housing costs; accounts for both rent and house prices): Full Weight (~12.5 Points)
- General Affordability (median family annual income divided by cost of living index): Full Weight (~12.5 Points)
Socioeconomic Environment – Total Points: 25
- Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Percentage of Two-Parent Families: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Percentage of Families Below Poverty Line: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Percentage of Households Receiving Food Stamps: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Wealth Gap: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
