In Other Economic News...

image
Published: 14 Jun, 2012
Updated: 13 Oct, 2022
1 min read

Thinking of having a child? Better have some serious cash.

The Department of Agriculture released their annual "Expenditures on Children by Families" on Thursday, detailing the cost of raising a child through age 17.

A middle income family in 2011 can expect to shell out $234,900 in order to house, feed, cloth, transport and cover other humanly needs for their new bundle of joy.

"For the year 2011, annual child-rearing expenses per child for a middle-income, two-parent family ranged from $12,290 to $14,320, depending on the age of the child," says the report.

Expenses are highest for families living in the urban Northeast, followed by families urban Western states. Families living in the South have the lowest child-rearing costs.

Both President Obama and Gov. Romney delivered speeches on their economic plans in Ohio today. Middle class jobs, taxes and higher education were all mentioned, all topics undoubtedly important to new or expectant parents looking at a $234,900+ decade and a half in front of them.

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read