Three Southwest Louisiana cities were named the best in the state to raise a family, according to a report by Creditdonkey.com.

Sulphur, DeRidder and Jennings all made the top 10 — rated third, fifth and 10th — on the study, which measured various quality-of-life aspects that pertained to those with families. The study only considered cities with a population of 10,000 or more.

Central earned the top spot, followed by Zachary, Sulphur, Bossier City, DeRidder, Gonzalez, Alexandria, Baker, Houma and Jennings.

The study weighted education the most of all in the criteria, measuring the percentage of the local population with a high school diploma equivalent or higher.

Sulphur shined in the second criteria — commute time — because of its proximity to Lake Charles, making the average commute just over 15 minutes. The report also cited the city’s cheaper overall standard of living, compared with Lake Charles, while still being close to the metropolitan area.

The third element the study measured was the number of households with children under 18. Nearly 30 percent of Jennings’ 10,200 people include children at home, helping it earn the No. 10 spot.

The study also measured the number of people who stay in the household for at least one year and the overall cost of housing.

The report cited the friendliness, overall safety of neighborhoods and good schools in DeRidder. It also highlighted DeRidder’s short commute time and cheap cost of housing compared with its median income of $42,000.

DeRidder Community Service Director Misty Clanton said the city has been trying to improve the quality of living for residents. She said DeRidder has focused on economic development, education, recreation and culture.

“Southwest Louisiana is about to explode with activity,” she said. “We want to be ready. It is very encouraging to see this report. It tells us that we are moving in the right direction.”(MGNonline)