NORTH CAROLINA -- Raising children as a single mom is no easy task. However, according to a new study, there are far better areas in our state than others to try and do so.
Durham-Chapel Hill is the fifth best city in the nation for single mothers according to financial news website 24/7 Wall St. The list cites childcare, income and affordability of housing as major factors making it one of the best metro areas in the United States for a single mom. The area’s many educational and employment opportunities also factor into its high standing.
On the flip side, Goldsboro was named 10th worst and New Bern is sixth worst in the nation for single mothers.
The site says the median annual income for a single mom in New Bern is just $15,858, making housing hardly affordable with average market rent for a two-bedroom apartment at $882 a month. That means a typical single mom would have to work 93.6 hours a week to rent the average two-bedroom apartment.
Though compared to New Bern, Goldsboro has a lower average two-bedroom apartment rent (at $746) and a higher median income for single moms ($17,646), the study says its limited early education opportunities are below standard. Just 35.2 percent of 3 and 4 year olds are enrolled in schools in Goldsboro, compared to the national average of 47.4 percent.
The website lists urban Honolulu as the worst city in the nation for single moms and Norwich-New London, Connecticut as the best.
To see the methodology and the full study, visit Best and Worst Cities for Single Mothers.