Tips

Here Are the Top 20 Winter Vacation Destinations

Posted on October 22, 2016

It’s time to start thinking about winter and cold weather destinations.

Ski lovers, beach lovers and more have their pick of locales in the states to select from.

Personal-finance website WalletHub looked at 2016’s Best Winter Holiday Destinations to help winter travelers plan their getaways.

Its analysts compared 69 of the largest metro areas to find the best cold and warm winter holiday destinations, by analyzing each destination across 26 key metrics, ranging from “cost of the cheapest flight” to “number of attractions in each winter vacation spot.”

Here is how the results broke down:

Best vs. Worst

The average flight to a popular cold winter destination costs $326, lasts a little more than four hours and has 0.38 connections, whereas the average flight to a popular warm winter destination costs $455, lasts a little less than six hours and has 0.64 connections.

Among cold destinations, Albuquerque, N.M., has the lowest price for the cheapest three-star hotel room, $41, which is 2.9 times lower than in New York, the city with the highest, $119.

Among warm destinations, Killeen, Texas, has the lowest price for the cheapest three-star hotel room, $42, which is 5.3 times lower than in Honolulu, the city with the highest, $223.

Among cold destinations, New York has the most restaurants per capita, 10.76, which is 10.3 times more than in Bridgeport, Conn., the city with the fewest, 1.04.

Among warm destinations, Orlando, Fla., has the most restaurants per capita, 6.12, which is 23.6 times more than in Deltona, Fla., the city with the fewest, 0.26.

Check out the full report here

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Back to School: These States have Most & Least School Bullying

Posted on August 16, 2016

With back-to-school season upon us and more than 160,000 children missing school every day in the U.S. out of fear of being bullied, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s States with the Biggest Bullying Problems.

To identify the states where bullying is most pervasive, WalletHub’s analysts compared 45 states and the District of Columbia across 17 key metrics, ranging from “bullying-incident rate” to “truancy costs for schools” to “percentage of high school students bullied online.”

Here are the top and bottom states for pervasiveness of bullying.

Best vs. Worst

The District of Columbia has the lowest percentage of high school students who were bullied on school property, 12.08 percent, which is 2.2 times lower than in Nebraska, where the percentage is highest, 26.28 percent.

The District of Columbia has the lowest percentage of high school students who were bullied online, 7.86 percent, which is 2.7 times lower than in Idaho, where the percentage is highest, 21.08 percent.

Maine has the lowest percentage of high school students involved in a physical fight on school property, 4.85 percent, which is 2.8 times lower than in the District of Columbia, where the percentage is highest, 13.81 percent.

Kansas has the lowest percentage of high school students who missed school because they felt unsafe at school, 3.80 percent, which is 3.4 times lower than in Louisiana, where the percentage is highest, 13.10 percent.

Vermont has the lowest percentage of high school students who attempted suicide, 5.88 percent, which is 2.2 times lower than in Louisiana, where the percentage is highest, 13.10 percent.

To read the full report and to see where your state ranks, please visit WalletHub here

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News

Of Course Half of the ‘Least Stressful Cities to Live in’ are on the West Coast

Posted on July 19, 2016

Don’t worry. Be happy. With all that is going on in the nation and the world, I sometimes want to escape it all.

Some places are just stressful to live in altogether and Wallet Hub, the personal finance website, crunched some numbers in order to identify where Americans cope with stress better than others. WalletHub’s analysts compared the 150 largest cities across 27 key metrics. Their data set ranges from average work hours to debt load to divorce and suicide rates.

Here are the top 10 most and least stressed cities:

Most Stressed Cities Least Stressed Cities

1 Detroit, MI

2 Mobile, AL

3 Birmingham, AL

4 Memphis, TN

5 Cleveland, OH

6 Shreveport, LA

7 Columbus, GA

8 New Orleans, LA

9 Newark, NJ

10 Montgomery, AL

Least Stressed Cities

141 San Diego, CA

142 Sioux Falls, SD

143 Overland Park, KS

144 Plano, TX

145 San Francisco, CA

146 San Jose, CA

147 Madison, WI

148 Honolulu, HI

149 Irvine, CA

150 Fremont, CA

Best vs. Worst

Greensboro, N.C., has the lowest commuter stress index, 1.11, which is nearly 1.5 times lower than in Los Angeles, the city with the highest, 1.62.
Lincoln, Neb., has the lowest unemployment rate, 2.5 percent, which is about five times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest, 12.4 percent.
Overland Park, Kan., has the lowest poverty rate, 6.0 percent, which is nearly seven times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest, 39.8 percent.
Fremont, Calif., has the lowest divorce rate, 12.24 percent, which is about three times lower than in Cleveland, the city with the highest, 41.29 percent.
Seattle has the lowest percentage of single parents, 9.54 percent, which is about four times lower than in Newark, N.J., the city with the highest, 37.79 percent.
Minneapolis has the lowest percentage of adults in fair or poor health, 10.77 percent, which is about two times lower than in Mobile, Ala., the city with the highest, 25.71 percent.
Irvine, Calif., has the lowest number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 0.49, which is more than 40 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest, 19.89.
Fresno, Calif., has the most psychologists per 100,000 residents, 80.1, which is about 22 times more than in Baton Rouge, La., the city with the fewest, 3.7.

For the full report and to see where your city ranks, please visit Wallet Hub here!

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Independence Day: This Study Identified the Top 20 ‘Most Patriotic’ States

Posted on June 28, 2016

With the Fourth of July just days away, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its list of 2016’s Most Patriotic States as a follow-up to its recent look at the Best & Worst Fourth of July Destinations.

To identify the country’s patriotic hotspots, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 12 key metrics such as military engagement, voting habits and civic education.

Top 20 Most Patriotic States
1	Virginia	11	North Carolina
2	Alaska	12	Vermont
3	South Carolina	13	Idaho
4	Colorado	14	Wyoming
5	Georgia	15	Maine
6	Hawaii	16	Mississippi
7	Montana	17	New Mexico
8	Alabama	18	Wisconsin
9	Washington	19	Missouri
10	New Hampshire	20	South Dakota

Key Stats

Red states are more patriotic, with an average ranking of 22.5, compared with 28.3 for blue states (1 = Best).
Alaska has the highest number of veterans per 1,000 residents, 100.8, which is two times higher than in New York, the state with the lowest, 45.5.
Georgia has the highest percentage of residents who enlisted in the military (non-prior service), 0.063%, which is three times higher than in North Dakota, the state with the lowest, 0.022%.
Minnesota has the highest percentage of residents who voted in the 2012 presidential election, 74.37%, which is two times higher than in Arizona, the state with the lowest, 37.98%.
Utah has the highest volunteer rate, 45.2%, which is three times higher than in Louisiana, the state with the lowest, 18.2%.
Vermont has the highest number of Americorps volunteers per 100,000 residents, 58.91, which is eight times higher than in Virginia, the state with the lowest, 7.42.

For the full report and to see where your state ranks, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-patriotic-states/13680/

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Dads Who Work: Do you Live in the Top 10 Best or Worst State for Working Fathers?

Posted on June 17, 2016

With Father’s Day approaching and nearly 93 percent of dads with kids younger than 18 in the labor force, the leading personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of the Best & Worst States for Working Dads.

In order to help dads balance their dual role as parent and provider, WalletHub analyzed the work-life balance, health conditions, financial well-being and child-rearing environments for working dads in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.Wallet Hub did so using 20 key metrics, which range from day care quality to male life expectancy.

Best States for Working Dads		Worst States for Working Dads
1	Minnesota	42	New Mexico
2	Connecticut	43	Georgia
3	Vermont	44	Alabama
4	Massachusetts	45	Idaho
5	New Jersey	46	South Carolina
6	Wisconsin	47	Louisiana
7	Iowa	48	Mississippi
8	Kansas	49	West Virginia
9	Virginia	50	Alaska
10	North Dakota	51	Nevada

Comparing The Best & Worst

Virginia has the highest median income for families – dad present – with kids younger than 18, at $100,738 – which is two times higher than the state with the lowest, Hawaii, at $51,160.

Nevada has the highest unemployment rate for dads with kids younger than 18, 7.95%, which is seven times higher than in North Dakota, the state with the lowest rate: 1.20%.

New Mexico has the highest percentage of kids younger than 18 with dad present living in poverty, 21.28%, which is four times higher than in New Hampshire, the state with the lowest, 5.36%.

Texas has the highest male uninsured rate, 22.9%, which is five times higher than in Massachusetts, the state with the lowest, 4.9%.

Alabama has the highest heart disease mortality rate among males, 267.8, which is two times higher than in Minnesota, the state with the lowest, 147.

Florida has the highest child care costs adjusted for median family income, 13.32%, which is two times higher than in Mississippi, the state with the lowest, 5.82%.

For the full report and to see where your state ranks, please visit:

http://wallethub.com/edu/best–and-worst-states-for-working–dads/134

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Woo hoo! There’s a Bunch of New Summer Job Opps, And Here are Top US Summer Job Cities

Posted on June 1, 2016

Do you have a young person in your home or community who needs a Summer Job? You’re in luck!

Last month, the Obama administration announced $21 million in grants to 11 communities in its Summer Jobs and Beyond campaign with the purpose to connect disadvantaged young people with jobs this summer and year-round. It stems from the White House’s Summer Opportunity Project “to increase the number of young Americans participating in evidence-based summer opportunity programs, decrease the percentage of youth experiencing violence over the summer, and—more broadly—make sure that young Americans have the support they need to get their first job,” as a press release about the initiative states.

In addition, there is a new inter-agency project called Summer Impact Hubs which pairs local and state projects and leaders in one of 16 communities with a Federal “Summer Ambassador” who will spend the spring and summer partnering with them to meet their locally-driven goals by leveraging Federal resources, breaking down agency siloes, and building new local, regional, and national partnerships.

If you do not live in one of those hubs, there are other cities nationwide that are great for opportunities for summer jobs. WalletHub analyzed 150 job markets for part time and summer opportunities. The top 20 cities are:

1. Washington, DC.

Scottsdale, AZ
San Francisco, CA
Orlando, FL
Reno, NV
Cincinnati, OH
Fort Lauderdale, FL
St. Louis, MO
Boise ID
Pittsburgh, PA
Irvine, CA

12. Denver, CO

13. Minneapolis, MN

14. Grand Rapids, MI

Salt Lake City, UT
Atlanta, GA
Plano, TX
Seattle, WA
Miami, FL
Little Rock, AK

Not surprisingly, most are in the more populated cities nationwide. Here are how the Best cities compared with the worst.

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Sioux Falls, S.D, has the highest labor-force participation rate of the population aged 16 to 24, 74.28 percent, which is nearly two times higher than in Irvine, Calif., the city with the lowest, 40.03 percent.
Sioux Falls, S.D., has the lowest unemployment rate of the population aged 16 to 24, 8.9 percent, which is nearly five times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest, 44.1 percent.
Scottsdale, Ariz., has the highest median income of part-time workers (adjusted for cost of living), $23,162, which is more than 3.5 times higher than in New York, the city with the lowest, $6,540.
Miami has the most part-time job openings per 1,000 civilian employed residents aged 16 to 24, 110.93, which is more than 13.6 times the number in Moreno Valley, Calif., the city with the fewest, 8.13.
Miami has the most internship listings per 1,000 civilian employed residents aged 16 to 24, 21.65, which is nearly 197 times the number in Mesa, Ariz., the city with the fewest, 0.11.
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., has the lowest percentage of the population aged 16 to 24 living under the poverty line, 8.5 percent, which is nearly six times lower than in Tallahassee, Fla., the city with the highest, 50.76 percent.
Springfield, Mo., has the lowest monthly median rent price for a one-bedroom property, $522, which is four times higher than in San Francisco, the city with the highest, $1,814.

For the full report and to see where your city ranks, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-places-for-summer-jobs/21137/

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Parenting

Here Are The Top 20 Summer Vacation Destinations

Posted on May 21, 2016

This summer, travelers are expected to spend close to $83 billion through online booking sites.

This represents an increase of 5.5 percent since 2015, according to a recent release of the personal-finance website WalletHub’s 2016 Best Summer Travel Destinations report.

The list supplements its recent Currency Exchange and Best Travel Credit Card studies.

Here are the top 20 destinations:

Las Vegas, NV

2 Salt Lake City, UT

3 Orlando, FL

4 Los Angeles, CA

5 Atlanta, GA

6 Dallas, TX

7 Greenville, SC

8 Charleston, SC

9 Houston, TX

10 Sacramento, CA

11 Tulsa, OK

12 St. Louis, MO

13 Chicago, IL

14 Albuquerque, NM

15 Oklahoma City, OK

16 Columbia, SC

17 Austin, TX

18 Cincinnati, OH

19 Phoenix, AZ

20 New York, NY

Comparing the Best and Worst

The average flight to a popular summer destination costs $304, lasts four hours and 28 minutes, and has 0.5 connections.

The Las Vegas metro area is the most attractive destination on the West Coast and the New York metro area on the East Coast.

California, South Carolina, Texas and Oklahoma are home to the top summer destinations in the U.S., each with at least two metro areas in the top 15. Oppositely, Connecticut and New York are each home to the largest numbers of the most unpopular summer destinations.

The Charleston, S.C., metro area has the lowest cost of a three-star hotel, $31, which is nearly six times less expensive than in Cleveland, the metro area with the highest, $184.

The Salt Lake City metro area has the most diversity of attractions, which is two times more than in Akron, Ohio, the metro area with the lowest.

For the full repor, read here!

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BumpNews

US Cities Holiday Spending Budget Survey: Palo Alto residents spend $2.8k, Albany, GA just $68

Posted on December 2, 2015

This year, Americans spent $10.4 billion on Black Friday 2015 with $4.45 billion coming from record online sales.

You best believe, a third of consumers went over their budgets, according to personal finance WalletHub which conducted an in-depth analysis to determine 2015’s Holiday Budgets by City.

Using data from several sources, including WalletHub partner TransUnion, the site calculated the maximum holiday budgets for the consumers in each of 563 U.S. cities

Here are the top 10 and bottom 10 budgets.

Most

1. Palo Alto, CA ($2,886)

2. Flower Mound, TX ($2,624)

3. Frisco, TX ($2,444)

4. Sugar Land, TX ($2,422)

5. Carmel, IN ($2,258)

6. Ellicott City, MD ($2,227)

7. Allen, TX ($2,186) 560

8. Pearland, TX ($2,162)

9.The Woodlands, TX ($2,158)

10. League City, TX ($2,112)

Lowest

1. 554 Kissimmee, FL ($209)

2. 555 Lowell, MA ($193)

3. 556 New Orleans, LA ($190)

4. 557 Waco, TX ($142)

5. 558 Brockton, MA ($122)

6. 559 Kalamazoo, MI ($104)

7. 560 New Bedford, MA ($98)

8. 561 Memphis, TN ($98)

9. 562 Knoxville, TN ($81)

10. 563 Albany, GA ($68)

Key Stats

The ratio of debt to income in Menifee, Calif., is six times higher than in Camden, N.J.

The ratio of expenses to income in Albany, Ga., is two times higher than in Flower Mound, Texas.

The ratio of savings to income in Jackson, Miss., is two times higher than in Anchorage, Alaska.

The ratio of savings to monthly expenses (a measure of emergency fund preparedness) in Carmel, Ind., is two times higher than in Baltimore, Md.

For the full report, go HERE!

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Parenting

REPORT: These are the BEST and WORST States to Have a Baby in America

Posted on September 11, 2015

September is a great month. It is also one of the most popular months for babies to be born in America.

As can be imagined, having a baby is the most expensive in America. My last c-section bill was $11,000 before insurance coverage! Therefore, I am not surprised.

Leading personal finance Website WalletHub did an in-depth analysis and came up with 2015’s Best and Worst States to Have a Baby.

To help expectant parents gauge their baby-planning costs, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 21 key metrics.

The site’s data metrics considered included: delivery costs, average annual infant-care costs, the per-capita number of midwives and OB-GYNs, and the per-capita number of child care centers.

Best States to Have a Baby		Worst States to Have a Baby
1	Vermont	42	Arkansas
2	North Dakota	43	Alabama
3	Oregon	44	Georgia
4	Hawaii	45	Louisiana
5	Minnesota	46	New York
6	Kentucky	47	Nevada
7	Maine	48	South Carolina
8	Wyoming	49	West Virginia
9	Iowa	50	Pennsylvania
10	Alaska	51	Mississippi

Key Stats

The average annual infant-care costs in the District of Columbia are four times more expensive than in Mississippi.
The infant-death rate in Mississippi is twice as high as in Iowa.
Vermont has nine times more child care centers per capita than West Virginia.
The rate of low birth-weight in Mississippi is twice as high as in Alaska.
The District of Columbia has 13 times more OB-GYNs per capita than Alabama.
California has the best parental leave policies, whereas 17 states — such as Arizona, Michigan or South Carolina — tied for the worst.
Vermont has 12 times more pediatricians per capita than New Mexico.

To see the full report and find out where your specific state ranks, see the entire report HERE and check out an inforgraphic summary below:

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Parenting

Will You Be Sending Your Kid off to One of the Worst or Best School Systems in the Nation?

Posted on August 16, 2015

Want to know if you are sending your kid off to a school in an awesome or not-so-good school system this year? Then, check out Wallet Hub’s 2015 ranking of the Best and Worst School Systems.

To find the best school systems, WalletHub compared the quality of education in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia by analyzing 13 key metrics. Its data include such metrics as the pupil-teacher ratio, dropout rates, standardized-test scores and bullying incidents rates.

States with the Best School Systems		States with the Worst School Systems
1	Massachusetts	42	New Mexico
2	Colorado	43	California
3	New Jersey	44	West Virginia
4	Wisconsin	45	South Carolina
5	Kentucky	46	Oregon
6	Vermont	47	Louisiana
7	North Dakota	48	Arizona
8	Minnesota	49	Nevada
9	Connecticut	50	District of Columbia
10	Illinois	51	Alaska

Key Stats

The District of Columbia’s dropout rate is four times higher than Iowa’s.
California’s pupil-to-teacher ratio is twice as high as Vermont’s.
The percentage of high school graduates who completed an AP exam in high school is four times higher in the District of Columbia than in Mississippi.
The percentage of public high school students who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property at least once during the previous 12 months is three times higher in Arkansas than in Wisconsin.
The percentage of high school students who were bullied online is twice as high in Maine than in Mississippi.
In North Dakota the average SAT test score is 40% higher than in District of Columbia.

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