Which U.S. states have the highest and lowest cost of raising a child?
SmartAsset ranks the cost of raising a child in each state by comparing the living expenses of a household with two working adults and one child to those of a childless household with two working adults.
Jaclyn DeJohn
Posted 6/30/24
SmartAsset ranks the cost of raising a child in each state by comparing the living expenses of a household with two working adults and one child to those of a childless household with two working adults.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
Attention subscribers
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, below, or purchase a new subscription.
Please log in to continue
Need an account?
Print subscribers
If you're a print subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one.
Online-only subscribers
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Non-subscribers
Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.
Which U.S. states have the highest and lowest cost of raising a child?
SmartAsset ranks the cost of raising a child in each state by comparing the living expenses of a household with two working adults and one child to those of a childless household with two working adults.
Posted
Jaclyn DeJohn
Jorge Salcedo // Shutterstock
When it comes to two working parents raising one child, the median annual cost across all states is $22,850 – but the range of costs from state to state can vary and even be much higher. In fact, it costs twice as much in some states as compared with others.
With this in mind, SmartAsset set out to find where it's most and least expensive for working parents to raise a child, ranking states by additional annual costs for the needs of a child.
Key Findings
Raising a child costs almost $36,000 per year in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has the highest annual costs for two working adults raising a small child at $35,841. More than half of this cost is attributed to childcare ($21,503), which is the highest of any state.
Raising a child up to the age of 18 costs $439,000 more in Massachusetts than Mississippi. The savings between the top 10 most expensive states and the 10 least expensive states to raise a child ranges from $180,000 to $439,000.
Additional housing for a child costs most in Hawaii and California. Adding a child to a two-worker household costs an additional $6,188 per year in Hawaii, and an additional $5,573 in California.
Childcare costs more than $15,000 per year in these states. After Massachusetts, Hawaii ($19,592), Connecticut ($19,554), New York ($17,821), Colorado ($16,620), Minnesota ($15,722) and Washington ($15,463) have the most expensive childcare costs.
Raising a child costs less than $18,000 per year in three states. For working parents, raising a child is least expensive in Mississippi at $16,151 annually. It has the most affordable childcare costs at $4,725 per year. All additional necessities for a child run an estimated $17,424 per year in Arkansas, and $17,918 in Louisiana.
Most Expensive States to Raise a Child
SmartAsset
Massachusetts
Annual cost of a child: $35,841
Food: $2,193
Childcare: $21,503
Medical costs: $2,347
Additional housing: $4,983
Transportation: $2,944
Other necessities: $1,871
Hawaii
Annual cost of a child: $35,049
Food: $2,481
Childcare: $19,592
Medical costs: $1,569
Additional housing: $6,188
Transportation: $3,305
Other necessities: $1,915
Connecticut
Annual cost of a child: $32,803
Food: $2,111
Childcare: $19,554
Medical costs: $2,060
Additional housing: $4,139
Transportation: $3,069
Other necessities: $1,871
Colorado
Annual cost of a child: $30,425
Food: $2,035
Childcare: $16,620
Medical costs: $2,329
Additional housing: $4,166
Transportation: $2,905
Other necessities: $1,915
New York
Annual cost of a child: $30,247
Food: $2,141
Childcare: $17,821
Medical costs: $2,442
Additional housing: $3,543
Transportation: $2,430
Other necessities: $1,871
California
Annual cost a small child: $29,468
Food: $2,023
Childcare: $14,433
Medical costs: $2,319
Additional housing: $5,573
Transportation: $3,205
Other necessities: $1,915
New Hampshire
Annual cost of a child: $27,849
Food: $2,031
Childcare: $13,461
Medical costs: $2,543
Additional housing: $4,656
Transportation: $3,287
Other necessities: $1,871
Washington
Annual cost of a child: $27,806
Food: $2,109
Childcare: $15,463
Medical costs: $1,287
Additional housing: $4,047
Transportation: $2,987
Other necessities: $1,915
Rhode Island
Annual cost of a child: $27,630
Food: $2,127
Childcare: $14,498
Medical costs: $2,486
Additional housing: $3,753
Transportation: $2,896
Other necessities: $1,871
Minnesota
Annual cost of a child: $27,406
Food: $2,075
Childcare: $15,722
Medical costs: $1,567
Additional housing: $3,225
Transportation: $3,041
Other necessities: $1,777
Least Expensive States to Raise a Child
Mississippi
Annual cost of a child: $16,151
Food: $1,783
Childcare: $4,725
Medical costs: $2,932
Additional housing: $2,026
Transportation: $3,259
Other necessities: $1,426
Arkansas
Annual cost of a child: $17,424
Food: $1,735
Childcare: $7,337
Medical costs: $1,671
Additional housing: $2,113
Transportation: $3,142
Other necessities: $1,426
Louisiana
Annual cost of a child: $17,918
Food: $1,855
Childcare: $7,864
Medical costs: $1,457
Additional housing: $2,239
Transportation: $3,076
Other necessities: $1,426
Kentucky
Annual cost of a child: $18,588
Food: $1,704
Childcare: $7,715
Medical costs: $2,137
Additional housing: $2,468
Transportation: $3,138
Other necessities: $1,426
Alabama
Annual cost of a child: $18,653
Food: $1,897
Childcare: $8,078
Medical costs: $1,889
Additional housing: $2,203
Transportation: $3,161
Other necessities: $1,426
South Dakota
Annual cost of a child: $19,008
Food: $1,941
Childcare: $7,727
Medical costs: $1,795
Additional housing: $2,488
Transportation: $3,281
Other necessities: $1,777
Kansas
Annual cost of a child: $19,494
Food: $1,900
Childcare: $8,706
Medical costs: $1,514
Additional housing: $2,463
Transportation: $3,134
Other necessities: $1,777
Tennessee
Annual cost of a child: $19,525
Food: $1,920
Childcare: $8,547
Medical costs: $2,271
Additional housing: $2,249
Transportation: $3,110
Other necessities: $1,426
Oklahoma
Annual cost of a child: $19,535
Food: $1,836
Childcare: $8,986
Medical costs: $1,558
Additional housing: $2,501
Transportation: $3,228
Other necessities: $1,426
West Virginia
Annual cost of a child: $19,558
Food: $1,717
Childcare: $8,578
Medical costs: $2,583
Additional housing: $2,154
Transportation: $3,099
Other necessities: $1,426
Data and Methodology
SmartAsset used MIT Living Wage Calculator data to compare the living costs of a household with two working adults and one child to that of a childless household with two working adults. The data is as of February 2024. Costs include additions for food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation and other necessities.
This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.