12 Best Big Cities for Families to Build Wealth

Disposable income, the amount left over from monthly income after expenses have been taken care of, influences financial decision making and is a factor in building wealth and achieving one's financial goals, like saving for retirement or college. A new study by Surety First Insurance Services finds that some cities are much friendlier than others in this regard, even expensive ones — especially for families with children. Researchers calculated the difference between the median income as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Economic Policy Institute's estimate for monthly expenses in the 50 largest U.S. cities, including housing, food, transportation, health care, taxes, other necessities and, where applicable, child care. They ran the calculations for a single-person household, a married-couple household without children and a married-couple household with two children. The results showed that married folks with children have the biggest financial surpluses in the country if they live in certain cities, but also the largest deficits in they live in other ones — $2,392 in New York, by far the biggest deficit in the country. See the gallery for the top 12 U.S. cities for families to build wealth.