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.

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