{
  "id": 3460665,
  "title": "Gen Z wants to be ‘tradwives.’ New data reveals the exact salary your spouse needs to earn—and in most states it’s under $100K",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/gen-z-wants-to-be-tradwives-new-data-reveals-the-exact-salary-your",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-26T07:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/08/26/stay-at-home-parent-tradwife-exact-salary-spouse-needs-to-earn-revealed-below-100k/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Gen Z's aspiration to become a \"tradwife\" is becoming increasingly popular, with even teenage girls opting for marriage and family over pursuing a corporate career. According to new research from SmartAsset, the exact salary a spouse needs to earn varies across the United States, with most states requiring less than six figures. In the average American family, one parent would need to earn around $80,000 to support their partner staying home to raise a single child. However, the cost of raising a child alone is estimated to be around $40,000 before tax, with daycare being the most significant expense eliminated by a stay-at-home parent. Hawaii has the highest cost of living for a stay-at-home parent, requiring an income of over $102,000. Other states like West Virginia, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, and North Dakota have the lowest requirements, with a single earner needing to bring in less than $71,000. On the other hand, Hawaii and California have the highest requirements, demanding an income of at least $102,773 and $97,656, respectively. The cost of achieving the American Dream, including homeownership and college education, is estimated to be around $4.4 million, and with inflation and rising housing costs, this figure could increase in the future.",
  "summary": "And for the average American family, one parent would need to be earning around $80,000 to sustain the other quitting their job to raise one child.",
  "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."
}