ARE KIDS BETTER OFF IN NYC?; LANCASTER, PALMDALE SCORE LOW IN SURVEY ON RAISING CHILDREN.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Daily News Staff Writer

When it comes to raising children, is New York City a better place than Lancaster or Palmdale?

That's what a survey released Tuesday by Zero Population Growth says.

In a ranking of 219 American cities on how good they are as places to raise children, Palmdale came in 143rd and Lancaster 151st - below New York City, San Francisco and Las Vegas, and in the same range as Norwalk, Oklahoma City, Denver and Orlando, Fla.

Neighboring Santa Clarita ranked 49th and Los Angeles 201st. Naperville, Ill., a Chicago suburb, was first; another Chicago suburb, Gary, Ind., was last at 219th.

The group's Children's Environmental Index, based on a survey of 219 cities - all the U.S. cities with a population over 100,000, plus the biggest city in any state with no municipalities over 100,000 - examined such statistics as infant mortality, unemployment, teen-age births, median household income, violent crime, air pollution and classroom size.

Averaged together, Palmdale had a final score of 4.696 out of a possible 10, and Lancaster was 4.502.

There are some glitches in the data, however.

The infant mortality rate - 7.5 percent - assumed for Palmdale and Lancaster was the figure for Los Angeles County, since rates for the cities are not compiled.

And for the air pollution index, the group used the statistics for the Los Angeles metropolitan area: 106 days a year of ``bad'' air, meaning over a 100 pollution-standards index.

In addition, the school dropout rate of 17.4 percent for Lancaster and 17.3 percent for Palmdale was based on 1990 U.S. Census numbers. The Antelope Valley Union High School District's dropout rate for its 1995 class was 9 percent, according to the most recent state statistics.

Other statistics were alarming enough, however: 14.5 percent of babies in Lancaster and 13.5 percent in Palmdale were born to teens; 11 violent crimes per thousand population for both cities; and unemployment rates of 7.5 percent for Lancaster and 7.4 percent for Palmdale.

Antelope Valley officials and people who work with youngsters said they don't see the dark picture the statistics portray.

``I've worked as a cop in other areas and I've seen how it is to raise kids. I think we're going upscale rather than down,'' said Bill Pricer, executive director of the anti-gang organization United Community Action Network. ``I've seen progress. There's a much higher percentage of kids being raised well than there are bad ones.''

Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford pointed out that the higher median income levels means homes are more expensive in higher-ranking cities.

``I think really those communities aren't affordable to families,'' Ledford said. ``When you take that element into account, the Antelope Valley becomes very attractive. It is affordable to average families.

``The area we need to work on is creating the manufacturing (jobs) for kids to have a reason to come back after they finish their education.''

Others said such rankings do not alarm them.

``It's how you live and how you raise your children,'' said Deronda Mejorada, a Palmdale mother of two. ``It's not where you live.''

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Photo: (Color) Deronda Mejorada of Palmdale, with her son, Dustin, and her daughter, Vanessa, at McAdam Park, says it's how you raise your children that's important.

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News