City among state's top 10 for raising family

Eunice is the seventh-best Louisiana town in which to raise a family, according to a consumer advocacy website.
NerdWallett analyzed national and state data to create its list. Factors include public school rating, median home value, ongoing cost of home ownership, median income and economic growth.
Leesville in west-central Louisiana tops the website’s list. Others, in descending order, are Walker, Belle Chasse, West Monroe, Zachary, Galliano, Eunice, Patterson, St. Rose and Sulphur.
Eunice schools were rated 7 on a 10-point scale.
NerdWallet’s Mike Anderson said, “We measured schools’ academic performance with ratings from GreatSchools. This non-profit compares a given school’s standardized test scores to the state average to obtain a rating on a 1 to 10 scale (10 representing the highest score).
On the economic side, “We assessed a town’s economy by looking at median household income and income growth over the last decade. Higher income and greater growth led to a higher overall score,” Anderson said.
Findings for Eunice:
Public school rating, 7;
Median household income, $32,146;
Median home value, $85,000;
Median on-going cost of home ownership, $905;
Economic growth, 1999-2011, 50.4%
Overall score for young families, 63.7.
For comparison, Leesville’s schools were given an 8 rating.

For more information: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/2013/best-towns-louisiana-young-families/