One day after New Hampshire was ranked first in the nation in child wellbeing, the region between Manchester and Nashua has placed second among the best locations in the country to raise a family in a list released Wednesday by a major publication.

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance released Wednesday its annual lists of the best cities for young adults, professionals, families, second acts (empty-nesters) and retirees. Each list reveals the top five cities that satisfy specific requirements for each life stage, including cost of living, income growth, population share for each age group, crime rate, health care, public schools, and community services and cultural resources.

The area between Nashua and Manchester, or much of Hillsborough County, was ranked second in the Best Cities for Families list, behind Des Moines, Iowa.

“People in different stages of life have different needs,” said Jane Clark, senior editor at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. “For example, health care facilities are important to retirees, and schools are of more concern for families than apartment rental rates. We took all of these factors into consideration when compiling lists that are appropriate for all of our readers.”

To rank the Best Cities for Families, Kiplinger worked with Kevin Stolarick, a research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, explained Pat Mertz Esswein, an assistant editor at Kiplinger. “We had a data provider collecting information on over 360 communities across the country,” said Mertz Esswein. “We define the Nashua-Manchester area the same way the U.S. Census does — as most of Hillsborough County.”

► Kiplinger.com: Best Cities for Families - Manchester-Nashua, N.H.

Mertz Esswein said each community on the list have reasonable living costs, strong employment growth, and a population that scores high on standard education tests and is proven to be tech-savvy. In the Best Cities for Families category, Kiplinger also factored in the student-teacher ratio in public schools, as well as the crime rate.

The national average in the Kiplinger cost-of-living index (which measures how expensive it is to live in a local city) is 100. The Nashua-Manchester region scored 119.9. The national unemployment rate is 8.2 percent (the local region comes in at 4.8 percent), while the national median household income is listed as $43,024. The Nashua-Manchester region median income is listed as $68,513.

In its write-up about the region, Kiplinger states, “Set along the Merrimack River amid a classic New England landscape, these two former mill towns and surrounding communities are both affordable and livable. Although the median home price (about $195,000) exceeds the national median, so does the median income. New Hampshire residents pay high property taxes but no state income tax or sales tax. Local event calendars are chock-full of family-friendly activities, including minor league baseball and hockey, as well as hands-on activities at the SEE Science Center and the Currier Museum of Art. Residents are within an hour’s drive of the ocean, White Mountains and Lakes Region. Workers enjoy a brief commute, while those who work in Boston pay for their New Hampshire lifestyle in driving time and Massachusetts state income tax. A first-rate regional airport with lots of direct flights to major cities is a boon for parents who travel for business.”

Mertz Esswein said the rankings are based on a points system, as well as interviews she conducted. “For New Hampshire, I worked with a Realtor who was also recently an educator, a regional economist and a local radio talk show host. I also looked at websites listing local economic development organizations and school systems. We also looked at medical facilities in the area.

“I came away from the research feeling that this region of New Hampshire has a lot to offer, and is a great place to raise children,” said Esswein.

Mayors of both major cities in the region agreed.

“I’m glad to see that the rest of the country will learn what I have known for a long time — that Manchester is a great place to live and raise a family,” said Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas.

“I’m pleased that once again Nashua is being recognized for what it brings to the table in these types of rankings,” said Nashua Mayor Donnalee Lozeau.

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Paul Feely may be reached at pfeely@unionleader.com.