Top 3 Cities

Best Cities for Families

Income vs 2BR housing plus breathing room at a family income.

Data: 2026-Q2 · BLS · HUD · KFF

Family Housing vs. Household Income

Pittsburgh, PA
2BR rent (annualized)
$15,588/yr
Median household income
$77,545
St. Louis, MO
2BR rent (annualized)
$14,616/yr
Median household income
$71,589
Kansas City, MO
2BR rent (annualized)
$16,296/yr
Median household income
$71,589
1
Pittsburgh · PA
2BR Rent $1,299/mo
2
St. Louis · MO
2BR Rent $1,218/mo
3
Kansas City · MO
2BR Rent $1,358/mo

Rankings derived from BLS OEWS May 2025, HUD FY2026 FMR, and Walk Score data.

FAQ

Best Cities for Families — FAQ

How are these rankings calculated?

Best Cities for Families is ranked by family affordability, computed at build time directly from verified public data. Rankings derived from BLS OEWS May 2025, HUD FY2026 FMR, and Walk Score data. Only the top 3 are shown here.

Why does this only show 3 cities?

Top Rankings highlights the top 3 in each category. The underlying ranking is computed the same way for every tracked location; this page focuses on the leaders.

Income Reality Check is an educational tool, not financial advice. Your situation has more dimensions than any tool can capture.