Raising a child is one of the largest financial commitments most Americans will ever make. The only federal estimate of the total is a USDA report, and it is dated. This page lays out what that report says, then adds current figures for the pieces that have newer sources: childcare prices, college costs and tax benefits.
A note on this data: USDA’s “Expenditures on Children by Families” was last published in 2017 and covers children born in 2015. USDA says it is evaluating the methods used for the report, and no newer edition has replaced it. The dollar figures below are in 2015 dollars, so they do not reflect today’s prices. This page does not try to adjust them.
What USDA Estimates: Birth Through Age 17
For a child born in 2015, USDA projected that a middle-income married-couple family would spend $233,610 from birth through age 17, between $12,350 and $13,900 a year (in 2015 dollars). USDA defines middle income as the middle third of the income distribution for a two-parent family with children. Spread evenly, $233,610 works out to about $12,978 a year, or roughly $1,082 a month, in 2015 dollars.
| Family income (married couple) | Birth through age 17 (2015 dollars) |
|---|---|
| Lower income | $174,690 |
| Middle income | $233,610 |
| Higher income | $372,210 |
The estimate does not include pregnancy or college costs.
Where the Money Goes
USDA gave these shares of child-rearing expenses for middle-income married-couple families:
| Category | Share of total |
|---|---|
| Housing | 29% |
| Food | 18% |
| Childcare and education | 16% |
| Transportation | 15% |
| Health care | 9% |
| Clothing | 6% |
| Miscellaneous | 7% |
Region and Family Size
USDA found costs were highest in the urban Northeast, urban West and urban South, and lowest in the urban Midwest and rural areas. Child-rearing expenses in rural areas were 24% lower than in the urban Northeast, the highest-cost region.
Costs per child fall as families grow. Compared with a child in a two-child family, USDA found that families with one child spend 27% more on the only child, and families with three or more children spend 24% less on each child.
Childcare Prices (The Big One)
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau runs the National Database of Childcare Prices, the most comprehensive federal source of childcare prices at the county level, with data from 2008 through 2022. Its November 2024 update found that annual prices for full-day care for one child in 2022 ranged from $6,552 to $15,600 nationwide, and that families spend between 8.9% and 16% of their median income on it.
That range is wide because price depends on the county, the child’s age and whether care is center-based or home-based. The database lets you look up your own county, which is a better guide than any national average.
College Costs (After 18)
The College Board’s Trends in College Pricing 2025 reports average published prices for full-time undergraduates in 2025-26 (Table CP-1). The four-year totals below are four times the annual figure, at 2025-26 prices, and ignore future increases.
| College type | Tuition and fees, 2025-26 | Four-year total | With housing and food, 2025-26 | Four-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public two-year (in-district) | $4,150 | $8,300 (two years) | n/a in the sources used | n/a |
| Public four-year (in-state) | $11,950 | $47,800 | $25,850 | $103,400 |
| Public four-year (out-of-state) | $31,880 | $127,520 | n/a in the sources used | n/a |
| Private nonprofit four-year | $45,000 | $180,000 | $60,920 | $243,680 |
These are sticker prices before grants and scholarships, so what a family actually pays can be much lower. The college figures are 2025-26 dollars and USDA’s are 2015 dollars, so don’t add them together as if they were one measure.
Tax Benefits for Parents
| Benefit | What it provides | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|
| Child Tax Credit | Up to $2,200 per qualifying child | Full credit if annual income is not more than $200,000 ($400,000 on a joint return); partial credit above that |
| Child and Dependent Care Credit | From tax year 2026, a maximum rate of 50% of up to $3,000 of expenses for one qualifying individual or $6,000 for two or more (up to $1,500 or $3,000) | Parents who pay for care so they can work |
| Dependent Care FSA | Up to $7,500 of pay set aside pre-tax (2026); $3,750 if married filing separately | Your employer must offer the plan |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Up to $8,231 with three or more qualifying children (tax year 2026) | Low-to-moderate income workers |
| 529 plan (college savings) | Earnings are not federally taxed when used for qualified education expenses; contributions are not federally deductible | Anyone saving for a named beneficiary |
| Head of household filing status | Standard deduction of $24,150 vs. $16,100 for unmarried filers, 2026 | Unmarried filers who support a qualifying person |
Planning Notes
| Strategy | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Use a Dependent Care FSA | Pay for childcare with up to $7,500 of pre-tax pay (2026), if your employer offers it |
| Claim the credits you qualify for | The Child Tax Credit is up to $2,200 per qualifying child |
| Price local childcare early | National ranges are wide, so check prices in your own county |
| Think about overlap | Two children in paid care at once means paying for both |
Related: 50/30/20 Budget Rule | Average Monthly Expenses | Child Tax Credit | Average Income
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