August 4, 2009

Expenditures on Children by Families, 2008

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion releases an annual report on the projected costs for food, shelter, and other necessities to raise a child over the next seventeen years. Issued by USDA each year since 1960, the report is used by courts and state governments in determining child support guidelines and foster care payments. For 2008, annual child-rearing expenses for a middle-income, two-parent family ranged from $11,610 to $13,480, depending on the age of the child.