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Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them (Psalm 127:4-5a, NASB1995).
Children are a blessing — also grandchildren! But how much does it cost to raise a child today?
Reader’s Digest (RD) was the first magazine I started reading regularly as a child, not quite as scholarly as Harvard Business Review (HBR), but the jokes in RD are much better than HBR’s. When I read a recent article in Reader’s Digest titled, “It Costs *What* to Raise a Child in 2026?! (And this doesn’t include college!),” I thought, “This article isn’t a joke.”
An opening paragraph in the RD article said…
We knew kids were expensive, but we didn’t know they were that expensive… but when a quick Target run somehow turns into $187 of snacks and stuff they had to have? Yeah, kids are expensive.
The article gave estimates for raising children from a study commissioned by Lending Tree® (they want to loan you money), which included expenses like daycare, everyday costs, the impact on rent and house payments, food, and transportation. On a personal note, when my three grandsons visit, a trip to Donatos® equals what my car payment was 10 years ago!
Now the cost.
Lending Tree, as reported by Reader’s Digest, estimates the cost of raising a child through age 18 is about a USA average of $303,418, which works out about $16,857 per child per year.
Of all states, Hawaii is the most expensive at $412,661, while those in Ohio pay $224,228. Of the 50 states in the U.S.A., with 1 being the most expensive and 50 the least, Ohio ranks 42nd.
Yay, move to Springfield, Ohio.
Our city now has a special offer: a 10 percent discount for newcomers on the cost of raising a child. (Fine print: You must move before May 10th, be a faithful reader of Interruptions, and have the entire Bible memorized.) Raising three children and now having six grandchildren in Springfield, I can testify that it’s a great place for children, dogs, and learning to ride a bike, but there is a tax surcharge for those who own cats.
Now the question: does it really cost that much? At $225,000 (rounded up), a family with four children in Ohio pays $900,000 over 18 years. In Springfield, the annual family income is $45,000 × 18 = $810,000, which means — no! — many families do not spend $225,000 per child.
Yesterday, my wife and I were walking on a bike path close to home when we passed a family of a husband, wife, and five children of various ages. The children were not wearing $150 shoes, but several were telling their father about a book they had read while being homeschooled that week. As some of the children talked to their father about books, the mother was reviewing with the other children the types of trees they were passing.
Are you telling tall tales, Pastor Grant? Does this type of family really exist today?
You will find these families in Springfield and other cities throughout the country, as families who can’t afford $412,661 per child in Hawaii or even $224,228 in Springfield don’t just get by — but learn to thrive — without the latest Nike® Air Force shoes.