Cost to care for an infant in every state

Written by:
September 25, 2018
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

Cost to care for an infant in every state

No matter where you are, having a baby is expensive. While the joy they bring is immeasurable, the financial consequences of having a child can cause significant strain on any family. On top of medical costs, there’s formula, diapers, clothing, and a number of other expenses that wind up taking a big bite out of a family’s savings account. A middle-class family can expect to pay $12,000, on average, to care for a newborn’s first year of life. Considering that the median household income in the United States is now $61,372, that means that nearly 20% of a family’s yearly income can go toward supporting their adorable new addition.

To better understand the cost to care for an infant in every state in America, Stacker took data from The Economic Policy Institute that broke down the numbers in April 2016 using their in-depth Minimum Wage Tracker and Family Budget Calculator. The rankings are all sorted by annual infant care costs and any ties were broken by the higher total of infant care costs as a share of median family income.

Click through to see how many states have infant care costs under $10,000 and which East Coast power center surpassed the $20,000 mark.

ALSO: Best and worst states for working dads

#51. Mississippi

Annual infant care costs: $4,822
Median family income: $44,717
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 10.8%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 51.2%

#50. Alabama

Annual infant care costs: $5,637
Median family income: $51,206
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 11%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 48.4%

#49. South Dakota

Annual infant care costs: $5,661
Median family income: $61,765
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 9.2%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 57.7%

#48. Louisiana

Annual infant care costs: $5,747
Median family income: $53,354
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 10.8%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 49.8%

#47. Tennessee

Annual infant care costs: $5,857
Median family income: $52,097
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 11.2%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 47.2%

#46. Arkansas

Annual infant care costs: $5,995
Median family income: $46,943
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 12.8%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 42.8%

#45. Kentucky

Annual infant care costs: $6,294
Median family income: $53,205
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 11.8%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 43.3%

#44. South Carolina

Annual infant care costs: $6,475
Median family income: $51,388
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 12.6%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 43%

#43. Wyoming

Annual infant care costs: $6,541
Median family income: $69,213
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 9.5%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 55.3%

#42. Oklahoma

Annual infant care costs: $6,788
Median family income: $52,275
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 13%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 42.1%

#41. Idaho

Annual infant care costs: $7,200
Median family income: $53,897
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 13.4%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 37.5%

#40. Georgia

Annual infant care costs: $7,644
Median family income: $55,411
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 13.8%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 37.7%

#39. Nebraska

Annual infant care costs: $7,926
Median family income: $63,135
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 12.6%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 39.9%

#38. West Virginia

Annual infant care costs: $7,926
Median family income: $52,485
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 15.1%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 28.5%

#37. New Mexico

Annual infant care costs: $7,942
Median family income: $46,697
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 17%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 32.9%

#36. North Dakota

Annual infant care costs: $8,217
Median family income: $71,072
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 11.6%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 44.6%

#35. Hawaii

Annual infant care costs: $8,280
Median family income: $74,919
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 11.1%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 47.3%

#34. Missouri

Annual infant care costs: $8,632
Median family income: $57,983
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 14.9%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 32%

#33. Utah

Annual infant care costs: $8,641
Median family income: $65,830
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 13.1%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 37.4%

#32. Florida

Annual infant care costs: $8,694
Median family income: $52,345
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 16.6%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 30.2%

#31. Texas

Annual infant care costs: $8,759
Median family income: $56,373
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 15.5%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 34.7%

#30. Indiana

Annual infant care costs: $8,918
Median family income: $57,166
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 15.6%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 29.2%

#29. Ohio

Annual infant care costs: $8,977
Median family income: $59,491
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 15.1%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 31.2%

#28. Montana

Annual infant care costs: $9,062
Median family income: $58,492
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 15.5%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 28%

#27. North Carolina

Annual infant care costs: $9,255
Median family income: $53,550
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 17.3%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 26.7%

#26. Arizona

Annual infant care costs: $9,437
Median family income: $53,470
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 17.6%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 27.9%

#25. Iowa

Annual infant care costs: $9,485
Median family income: $65,444
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 14.5%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 30%

#24. Maine

Annual infant care costs: $9,512
Median family income: $56,767
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 16.8%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 26.7%

#23. Nevada

Annual infant care costs: $9,852
Median family income: $53,900
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 18.3%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 23.8%

#22. Michigan

Annual infant care costs: $9,882
Median family income: $59,940
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 16.5%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 26%

#21. Virginia

Annual infant care costs: $10,458
Median family income: $76,610
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 13.7%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 35.6%

#20. Pennsylvania

Annual infant care costs: $10,640
Median family income: $67,296
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 15.8%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 27.5%

#19. Alaska

Annual infant care costs: $10,957
Median family income: $76,571
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 14.3%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 35.5%

#18. Delaware

Annual infant care costs: $11,000
Median family income: $70,007
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 15.7%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 28.9%

#17. Kansas

Annual infant care costs: $11,201
Median family income: $62,752
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 17.8%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 23.5%

#16. Vermont

Annual infant care costs: $11,270
Median family income: $65,941
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 17.1%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 22.7%

#15. Oregon

Annual infant care costs: $11,322
Median family income: $56,660
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 20%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 22.1%

#14. New Jersey

Annual infant care costs: $11,534
Median family income: $88,627
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 13%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 38%

#13. Wisconsin

Annual infant care costs: $11,579
Median family income: $65,708
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 17.6%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 21.4%

#12. New Hampshire

Annual infant care costs: $11,810
Median family income: $81,832
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 14.4%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 30.3%

#11. California

Annual infant care costs: $11,817
Median family income: $63,605
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 18.6%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 28.5%

#10. Washington

Annual infant care costs: $12,733
Median family income: $68,794
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 18.5%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 24%

#9. Rhode Island

Annual infant care costs: $12,867
Median family income: $67,119
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 19.2%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 21.9%

#8. Illinois

Annual infant care costs: $12,964
Median family income: $67,694
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 19.2%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 22.3%

#7. Colorado

Annual infant care costs: $13,154
Median family income: $69,903
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 18.8%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 22.6%

#6. Connecticut

Annual infant care costs: $13,880
Median family income: $86,981
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 16%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 28.1%

#5. Maryland

Annual infant care costs: $13,932
Median family income: $86,833
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 16%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 27.7%

#4. New York

Annual infant care costs: $14,144
Median family income: $66,830
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 21.2%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 20.3%

#3. Minnesota

Annual infant care costs: $14,366
Median family income: $76,538
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 18.8%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 17.8%

#2. Massachusetts

Annual infant care costs: $17,062
Median family income: $87,580
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 19.5%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 18.7%

#1. Washington D.C.

Annual infant care costs: $22,631
Median family income: $63,587
Infant care costs as a share of median family income: 35.6%
Share of families able to afford infant care (costs are 10% or less of income): 9.4%

Trending Now