The cost to raise a child from birth to age 18 in the United States varies depending on the source and factors like location, family income, and lifestyle, but recent estimates generally range between approximately $298,000 and $375,000.
- A 2025 LendingTree study estimates the total cost at about $297,674, reflecting a 36% increase since 2023, with childcare, housing, food, and health insurance as major expenses
- The Brookings Institution and Investopedia cite an average of around $310,605 for a child born in 2015 through age 17, excluding college and daycare costs, with housing as the largest single expense
- The USDA's adjusted data for inflation suggests a cost near $331,933 for raising a child born in 2015 to age 18, with annual expenses around $16,978 per child as of recent years
- Some estimates, like from SmartAsset cited by Western Southern, place the total cost closer to $375,000 for middle-income families, including newborn and childcare expenses, groceries, education, healthcare, and extracurricular activities
- Costs vary significantly by state, with some states like Massachusetts and Hawaii being more expensive, and others like Mississippi and Arkansas less so
Key cost components include housing (about 30% or more of total expenses), food, childcare, healthcare, education, transportation, clothing, and activities. Childcare and housing are typically the largest individual expenses. These figures generally do not include college education costs, which can add substantially more. In summary, raising a child from birth to 18 years old in the U.S. typically costs around $300,000 to $375,000, depending on various factors such as location, lifestyle, and inflation adjustments
