lifeinsurance77: Anyone with kids understands just how expensive they can be. From the time a child is born until turning 18 the cost of raising him or her is a hefty $245,000. This number fluctuates depending on a family's income and location. For example, it can cost as much as $455,000 to raise a child in the Northeastern United States.
Child care can be a big expense for any family. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the weekly cost of child care doubled between 1985 and 2011. In a recent report published by Child Care Aware, full-time infant child care costs anywhere from $4,822 in Mississippi all the way up to $22,631 in Washington, D.C. Families below the poverty line spend an average of 30% of their total household income on child care costs each year.
To get a better sense of how child care costs can fluctuate in different areas of the country, let’s take a look at the five least expensive states for child care as well as the five most expensive.
To get a better sense of how child care costs can fluctuate in different areas of the country, let’s take a look at the five least expensive states for child care as well as the five most expensive.