Massachusetts Is The Most Expensive State To Raise A Kid In, Mississippi Cheapest

Although costs vary from family to family, two working parents spend an average of around $23,000 per year raising one child in the United States.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti, illustrates the cost of raising a child by state, based on data compiled by SmartAsset as of February 2024.

Methodology

SmartAsset used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the living costs of a household with two working adults and one child to those of a childless household with two working adults. Costs include expenses for food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, and other necessities.

Massachusetts Tops the List

Massachusetts has the highest annual costs for raising a child, at $35,841 per year. Mississippi has the lowest annual costs, at $16,151 per year.

RankStateAnnual cost of raising a child
1Massachusetts$35,841
2Hawaii$35,049
3Connecticut$32,803
4Colorado$30,425
5New York$30,247
6California$29,468
7New Hampshire$27,849
8Washington$27,806
9Rhode Island$27,630
10Minnesota$27,406
11Vermont$27,170
12Nevada$26,914
13New Jersey$26,870
14Alaska$26,860
15Oregon$26,334
16Delaware$25,867
17Maine$24,917
18Maryland$24,830
19Pennsylvania$24,820
20Wisconsin$24,064
21Virginia$24,043
22Arizona$24,026
23Illinois$23,821
24Michigan$23,075
25Ohio$22,926
26Nebraska$22,773
27Iowa$22,714
28North Dakota$21,645
29Indiana$21,584
30North Carolina$21,510
31Florida$21,384
32Idaho$21,214
33Utah$20,955
34Montana$20,839
35Texas$20,724
36Wyoming$20,579
37Georgia$20,480
38South Carolina$20,293
39New Mexico$20,060
40Missouri$19,995
41West Virginia$19,558
42Oklahoma$19,535
43Tennessee$19,525
44Kansas$19,494
45South Dakota$19,008
46Alabama$18,653
47Kentucky$18,588
48Louisiana$17,918
49Arkansas$17,424
50Mississippi$16,151

Regardless of the state, childcare is the highest expense, followed by additional housing and food costs.

Housing costs include expenses for shelter (e.g., mortgage payments, property taxes, rent, and insurance), utilities (gas, electricity, fuel, cellphone, and water), and household furnishings and equipment. Childcare costs include education expenses, daycare tuition, babysitting, other childcare costs, and tuition for private schools.

These expenses do not account for the cost of a college education, which can add significantly to the overall financial burden.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out this graphic, which ranks the income a family needs to live comfortably in every U.S. state.

Tyler Durden
Sat, 12/21/2024 – 15:45



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