The best cities in America to build a career while raising a family

Some of the best places to live in the US are well-suited for working parents.
Personal finance company SmartAsset found the top 10 cities to build a career while raising a family.
The results show a clear preference toward small- and medium-size towns far from the East Coast.

New parents who are starting their careers have a difficult choice to make: finding a place to live that gives both themselves and their children the greatest chance of success.

Naturally, some cities in the United States are better suited for working parents than others. Personal finance company SmartAsset rated each US city this week and found the 10 best cities where parents can build their careers while raising their families.

SmartAsset used nine metrics in its calculations:

Unemployment rate
Median household income
Median annual housing costs
Percent of workforce working more than 49 weeks per year
Average commute time
Violent crime rate,
High school graduation rate
State policy
Annual childcare costs

You can read more about SmartAsset's methodology here.

The results showed a clear preference toward small towns and medium-size cities far from the East Coast: Three inland states — Utah, Texas, and Iowa — contained seven of the top 10 cities. SmartAsset said northeastern cities tended to be weighed down by high childcare and housing costs, and the highest-ranking northeastern city on the list, Newton, Massachusetts, didn't even crack the top 100.

Read on to see the 10 best cities for working parents.

10. Abilene, Texas

Unemployment rate: 3.0%

Median annual housing costs: $9,564

Average high school graduation rate: 90%

Average annual childcare cost: $7,674

SmartAsset analysis: "

9. Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Unemployment rate: 2.5%

Median annual housing costs: $9,264

Average high school graduation rate: 89%

Average annual childcare cost: $10,959

SmartAsset analysis: "

8. Santa Clara, California

Unemployment rate: 2.7%

Median annual housing costs: $27,516

Average high school graduation rate: 88%

Average annual childcare cost: $11,539

SmartAsset analysis: "

7. Wichita Falls, Texas

Unemployment rate: 3.2%

Median annual housing costs: $9,108

Average high school graduation rate: 94%

Average annual childcare cost: $7,674

SmartAsset analysis: "Parents working in this city should spend be able to spend less time on the road getting to work and more time at home with their children. According to our data, the average commute time here is under 15 minutes.

"Another reason working parents will love Wichita Falls is the local school system. Department of Education data shows that almost 94% of students in the area graduate from high school."

6. St. George, Utah

Unemployment rate: 3.0%

Median annual housing costs: $11,292

Average high school graduation rate: 89%

Average annual childcare cost: $9,323

SmartAsset analysis: "

5. Jonesboro, Arkansas

Unemployment rate: 2.7%

Median annual housing costs: $8,580

Average high school graduation rate: 90%

Average annual childcare cost: $5,669

SmartAsset analysis: "Jonesboro, according to our data, has the 17th-lowest average childcare costs, at $5,700 per year. Combine that low cost of childcare with average annual housing costs of only $8,600 per year and you see that Jonesboro is one of the most affordable cities in our study."

4. Orem, Utah

Unemployment rate: 2.5%

Median annual housing costs: $11,820

Average high school graduation rate: 89%

Average annual childcare cost: $9,323

SmartAsset analysis: "

3. Iowa City, Iowa

Unemployment rate: 2.0%

Median annual housing costs: $11,136

Average high school graduation rate: 92%

Average annual childcare cost: $9,093

SmartAsset analysis: "Where Iowa City falls slightly behind is in crime. It ranks in the top third of cities for crime rate but Ames [the top city in this ranking] ranks in the top 20%."

2. Provo, Utah

Unemployment rate: 2.5%

Median annual housing costs: $9,948

Average high school graduation rate: 89%

Average annual childcare cost: $9,323

SmartAsset analysis: "Provo is the third-safest city in our top 10 and is safer than 85% of cities in our study. In addition to those great scores, Provo is also an affordable place. According to our data, the average family would spend only 21.5% of their income onhousing costs, includingproperty taxesand homeowners insurance, if they bought the median home."

1. Ames, Iowa

Unemployment rate: 1.5%

Median annual housing costs: $11,160

Average high school graduation rate: 92%

Average annual childcare cost: $9,093

SmartAsset analysis: "