{
  "id": 16316542,
  "title": "Here’s how much it costs to raise a child in every state in 2026: Where you live can impact the bill by more than $200,000",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/heres-how-much-it-costs-to-raise-a-child-in-every-state-in-2026-where",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-24T10:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/10/24/cost-of-raising-a-child-by-state-america-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Raising a child in the United States now costs an estimated $303,418 over 18 years, according to LendingTree's latest analysis. This is the first time the cost has exceeded $300,000 since the company began tracking it in 2023. On average, families can expect to pay about $16,857 per year for child-rearing expenses.\n\nThe biggest driver of these costs is housing, with rent expenses for households with children rising by 48.9% to $1,680 per year. Infant day care costs also decreased by 3.2% to $17,264 per year. However, these changes do not fully offset the overall increase in costs.\n\nHawaii is the most expensive state to raise a child, with an estimated 18-year cost of $412,661, which is nearly $50,000 more than Alaska, the second most expensive state at $365,047. Six states—Hawaii, Alaska, Maryland, California, New Jersey, and Kansas—have projected costs over $300,000 for raising a child.\n\nIn contrast, New Hampshire, the District of Columbia, and South Carolina have the lowest projected costs, all under $205,000. The early years of a child's life are the most expensive, with day care costs making up a significant portion of expenses during the first five years. These costs can consume up to 21.9% of a family's income, varying from 13.9% in Washington, D.C. to 27.4% in Hawaii.\n\nCosts for raising a child have risen in 39 states and Washington, D.C., with some states experiencing increases of over 10%. In Nebraska, Montana, Maine, and Wisconsin, costs rose by 23.3% to 27.4%. However, in states like New Hampshire, costs fell by 19.5%.\n\nSome states have surprising rankings. Massachusetts ranks third for the annual cost of raising a small child but 18th over 18 years, while Washington, D.C. ranks ninth for a small child but 50th over 18 years. Both cities have lower rent expenses for households with children, which helps reduce the long-term total costs.\n\nThe South is the cheapest region for raising young children, with Mississippi and Alabama ranking as the least expensive states. Other affordable states include South Dakota, New Mexico, and Florida. These figures mainly reflect costs before the implementation of universal free child care in New Mexico, which began in November 2025.",
  "summary": "LendingTree pegs the 18-year cost of raising a child above $300,000 for the first time, but where you live can swing the bill by more than $210,000.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}