Family Life

06.10.11 | Sarah Harnisch

On Thursday, the USDA released their report on what it costs to raise one child. They say a child born in 2010 will cost a middle-class family $226,920 to raise over seventeen years. That's a 2% increase from the previous year. If you account for inflation for food and shelter, it's $286,000 per kid. That breaks down to $13,348 a year.

The cost changes based on family income and location. For example, a family earning less than $57,600 per year is expected to spend $163,440 on raising a child. Another family earning between $57,600 and $97,730 would likely spend $226,920. A family earning more than $99,730 will probably spend $377,040.

Families living in the urban Northeast had the highest expenses, followed by the urban West and Midwest. Families living in the urban South and rural areas have the lowest expenses.