MA Among Most Expensive Places To Raise A Small Child, Study Finds

It's no news to parents everywhere that raising a child is expensive. But bringing up a kid in Massachusetts is pricier than average, especially in the early years, according to a new Lending Tree study.

Massachusetts came in at No. 3 in the country for the cost of raising a small child at $34,247 annually. Infant day care makes up the bulk of that, costing parents $26,343 each year.

Only Hawaii and Maryland are more expensive.

Here are the states with the highest cost of raising a small child:

1. Hawaii
2. Maryland
3. Massachusetts
4. California
5. New Jersey
6. Washington
7. Colorado
8. New York
9. Washington, D.C.
10. Connecticut

The news is a bit less painful when it comes to the cost of raising a child over 18 years. In this category, Massachusetts came in at No. 18. Still, the total price tag is no small chunk of change at $273,891.

Hawaii again came in at No. 1 in this category at $412,661. It was one of six states where it costs more than $300,000 to raise a child over 18 years.

But you don't have to go far from the Bay State to find the cheapest place to bring up a kid in the country: New Hampshire was the winner here, with an estimated cost of $201,963.

The report includes data from 2024. The overall cost of raising a child increased from the previous year by 1.9%.

Check out the full study at Lending Tree.