The largest U.S. cities may be known for their unique attributes, but it’s not immediately apparent which of them are best for raising a family. The decision of where to call "home" is a critical one for parents and can have a significant influence on the lives of their children. Use this map of America’s Most Family-Friendly Cities to find out how each metro stacks up!

The map compares the top 50 metropolitan areas in the U.S. and rates them on their overall family-friendliness based on key considerations: crime rate, cost of living, availability of child care services, average commute times, school (K-12) quality, and park acreage per capita. These factors were chosen as each can contribute to a family's quality of life and a child’s development. A weight was assigned to each factor to value their relative levels of importance — school quality had the highest, while commute times had the lowest.

The 10 highest-ranked cities earned high marks in nearly all the factors analyzed. These 10 offer diverse family amenities and opportunities, which landed them in the top across the country.

In the 2017 Family-Friendly Cities Index, Charlotte, NC, Dallas, TX, and San Antonio, TX, held the top three spots, though they didn’t rank as high this year. Instead, Virginia Beach, VA, and Raleigh, NC, which are newly added areas to the index, ranked as the top two family-friendly metro areas, followed by Charlotte, NC, in third.

Check out the Homes.com Family-Friendly Cities Report to learn more about the ranking and methodology.