State-by-state breakdown of income needed to keep one parent at home

1 hour ago

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Staff,

(SmartAsset) – While the cost of raising a young 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.

According to a new study, the average cost of raising a child for 18 years is nearly $300,000. (Source: Canva, DCC Gray News)

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.

With this in mind, SmartAsset 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.

Key Findings

Hawaiians need to earn the most for one parent to stay at home. 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 need to earn at least $97,000 to support a child and a stay-at-home parent. 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.
For two working parents, income needs to be highest in Massachusetts. 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.
It’s most affordable to be a stay-at-home parent in these states. States with the lowest income threshold to support a three-person family on one income include West Virginia ($68,099); Arkansas ($68,141); Mississippi ($70,242); Kentucky ($70,408); and North Dakota ($70,949).

Income Needed to Keep One Parent at Home

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.

Hawai‘i

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $102,773
Income needed across two working parents: $119,226
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $33,363

California

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $97,656
Income needed across two working parents: $115,814
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $35,651

Massachusetts

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $97,261
Income needed across two working parents: $124,842
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $44,221

New York

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $92,290
Income needed across two working parents: $111,363
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $33,280

Connecticut

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $90,542
Income needed across two working parents: $115,398
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $41,808

Washington

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $90,459
Income needed across two working parents: $109,741
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $35,027

New Jersey

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $89,918
Income needed across two working parents: $110,448
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $35,069

Maryland

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $87,651
Income needed across two working parents: $104,458
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $31,283

Colorado

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $86,320
Income needed across two working parents: $108,118
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $34,986

New Hampshire

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $85,800
Income needed across two working parents: $104,374
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $32,739

Vermont

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $85,488
Income needed across two working parents: $109,242
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $38,272

Alaska

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $84,594
Income needed across two working parents: $103,002
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $32,947

Arizona

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $84,573
Income needed across two working parents: $97,635
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $26,624

Virginia

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $84,261
Income needed across two working parents: $98,176
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $28,330

Oregon

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $84,074
Income needed across two working parents: $104,998
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $33,114

Rhode Island

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $83,346
Income needed across two working parents: $102,586
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $32,614

Utah

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $82,410
Income needed across two working parents: $95,098
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $26,957

Idaho

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $82,139
Income needed across two working parents: $92,810
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $24,378

Maine

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $81,786
Income needed across two working parents: $96,720
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $28,912

Nevada

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $81,453
Income needed across two working parents: $96,554
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $27,123

Delaware

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $80,600
Income needed across two working parents: $91,686
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $24,544

Pennsylvania

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $80,059
Income needed across two working parents: $98,842
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $31,741

Illinois

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $79,102
Income needed across two working parents: $94,765
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $27,206

Montana

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $79,082
Income needed across two working parents: $94,723
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $28,954

Florida

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $78,998
Income needed across two working parents: $90,730
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $24,045

Minnesota

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $78,000
Income needed across two working parents: $98,675
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $33,197

Georgia

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $77,563
Income needed across two working parents: $87,901
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $21,299

Wyoming

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $76,045
Income needed across two working parents: $86,112
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $22,755

North Carolina

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $75,608
Income needed across two working parents: $88,026
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $23,587

Tennessee

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $75,525
Income needed across two working parents: $84,240
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $21,424

New Mexico

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $75,067
Income needed across two working parents: $89,149
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $25,210

Texas

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $74,734
Income needed across two working parents: $85,238
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $22,672

Michigan

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $74,173
Income needed across two working parents: $85,654
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $23,587

Iowa

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $74,006
Income needed across two working parents: $83,117
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $22,173

South Carolina

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $73,694
Income needed across two working parents: $85,197
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $23,296

Wisconsin

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $73,507
Income needed across two working parents: $88,691
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $27,955

Indiana

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $73,320
Income needed across two working parents: $89,565
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $27,914

Louisiana

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $73,258
Income needed across two working parents: $82,826
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $21,798

Missouri

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $73,174
Income needed across two working parents: $87,610
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $26,042

Kansas

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $73,174
Income needed across two working parents: $83,117
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $21,757

Nebraska

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $72,966
Income needed across two working parents: $86,902
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $25,709

Alabama

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $72,238
Income needed across two working parents: $81,120
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $20,550

South Dakota

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $72,218
Income needed across two working parents: $81,869
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $21,174

Ohio

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $72,114
Income needed across two working parents: $88,192
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $27,706

Oklahoma

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $71,718
Income needed across two working parents: $84,240
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $25,210

North Dakota

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $70,949
Income needed across two working parents: $83,824
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $24,752

Kentucky

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $70,408
Income needed across two working parents: $79,706
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $20,758

Mississippi

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $70,242
Income needed across two working parents: $78,000
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $19,178

Arkansas

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $68,141
Income needed across two working parents: $78,374
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $21,840

West Virginia

Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $68,099
Income needed across two working parents: $78,998
Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $22,422

Data and Methodology

SmartAsset 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, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities.

This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

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