Orlando Named One of the Worst Places in America for Single Moms

Orlando has landed on another less-than-flattering national list, this time for single mothers trying to make ends meet. A 2026 study by Single Mothers Grants ranked the Orlando metro area as the 10th worst in the country for single mothers, with Miami coming in sixth. The study looked at nine factors, including housing costs, child care, employment, transportation, safety, health care, and education, using mostly government data from 2023 and 2024. And while the rankings are based on a mix of factors, Orlando s housing costs are particularly tough on single-parent households. According to a June 2026 study from LendingTree, single-parent renters in Orlando spend a median of 47.6% of their income on housing, the second-highest share among the country s 50 largest metro areas, behind Miami. A separate report from Zillow found that nearly 7 in 10 Orlando-area families with children who rent spend more than 30% of their income on housing, a considerably higher share than th