Governing magazine digs into the data about which cities American families are more likely to call home.
Mike Maciag shares the results of a survey of U.S. cities to show which cities are home to the most families. Maciag used data from the Census Bureau that reports the estimated share of household with children under age 18. Across the nation, that share has declined over the past decade, says Maciag, but children currently live in 32 percent of U.S. households.
Families with children make up more than half the households in only two jurisdictions in the top 100 most populated cities in the country: Laredo, Texas and Santa Ana, California. "Nearly all cities where [children are] most prevalent are found in California, Texas and Arizona," adds Maciag.
Helpfully, Maciag also breaks down the data into groups of jurisdictions with similar densities, allowing easy comparison of cities like New York and Chicago or San Diego and Denver, among many, many others.
Maciag shares links to some of the commentary on the trends for younger families living in families versus suburbs, as well as some of the demographic conclusions the data offers in different examples. So, for instance, the number of children living in New York offers different lessons than the number of children living in Atlanta.
FULL STORY: The Most and Least Kid-Filled Cities

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.

Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.

Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service