Here's a look at U.S. states ranked based on the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child.
can now reach over $40,000 in pre-tax income annually, depending on where you live, many families find ways to mitigate some of the larger costs associated with parenthood. This often includes considerations about who will work in the household and whether young children will require paid daycare services while their parents are occupied.
With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child.ranked U.S. states based on the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child — foregoing the major cost of childcare, but also additional income. A single earner with a small family in Hawai‘i needs to earn at least $102,773 to cover the basic expenditures for two adults and a young child. But if both parents are working, $119,226 is needed between the two of them. When a child is in daycare, the annual cost of raising a child in Hawai‘i is approximately $33,363. Californians have the second-highest income needed to keep a parent at home at $97,656. If two parents are working, the family needs to earn at least $115,814 to cover everything. Of that income, it is estimated to cost two working parents $35,651 pre-tax dollars per year between childcare, food, transportation, medical care and other expenses. The costs for working parents are particularly high in Massachusetts, which has the highest cost of raising a child study-wide at $44,221 in pre-tax income. Two working parents must earn a minimum of $124,842 across both of them, or just one working parent can support the family with $97,261. States with the lowest income threshold to support a three-person family on one income include West Virginia ; Arkansas ; Mississippi ; Kentucky ; and North Dakota .States are ranked based on the estimated income one parent would need to make to allow the other parent to stay home to care for a single young child.Income needed across two working parents: $119,226Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $97,656Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $35,651Income needed across two working parents: $124,842Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $92,290Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $33,280Income needed across two working parents: $115,398Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $90,459Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $35,027Income needed across two working parents: $110,448Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $87,651Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $31,283Income needed across two working parents: $108,118Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $85,800Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $32,739Income needed across two working parents: $109,242Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $84,594Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $32,947Income needed across two working parents: $97,635Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $84,261Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $28,330Income needed across two working parents: $104,998Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $83,346Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $32,614Income needed across two working parents: $95,098Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $82,139Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $24,378Income needed across two working parents: $96,720Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $81,453Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $27,123Income needed across two working parents: $91,686Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $80,059Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $31,741Income needed across two working parents: $94,765Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $79,082Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $28,954Income needed across two working parents: $90,730Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $78,000Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $33,197Income needed across two working parents: $87,901Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $76,045Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $22,755Income needed across two working parents: $88,026Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $75,525Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $21,424Income needed across two working parents: $89,149Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $74,734Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $22,672Income needed across two working parents: $85,654Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $74,006Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $22,173Income needed across two working parents: $85,197Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $73,507Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $27,955Income needed across two working parents: $89,565Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $73,258Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $21,798Income needed across two working parents: $87,610Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $73,174Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $21,757Income needed across two working parents: $86,902Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $72,238Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $20,550Income needed across two working parents: $81,869Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $72,114Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $27,706Income needed across two working parents: $84,240Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $70,949Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $24,752Income needed across two working parents: $79,706Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $70,242Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $19,178Income needed across two working parents: $78,374Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $68,099Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $22,422SmartAsset used MIT Living Wage Calculator data to compare the aggregate annual living wage of a household with two working adults and one child to that of one working adult, one stay-at-home parent and one child. The data is as of February 2025. Costs include additions for food,
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