Raising a child in Nebraska now costs nearly $300,000 over 18 years, according to a new analysis from LendingTree.
The study estimates the total cost at $294,926, ranking Nebraska as the ninth-most expensive state to raise a child. That’s up about 19% from the previous year.
The calculation specifically factors in additional costs that impact parents, such as day care, travel expenses, and household expenses that raising a child can impact like rent.
Nationally, the cost has climbed to about $303,000, or roughly $16,800 per year after tax credits. Chief consumer finance analyst Matt Schulz said rising housing costs are a major factor.
“Rent increases were the biggest driver that we saw from year to year,” Schulz said. “It’s not news to any parent that raising a child is really, really expensive, but costs continuing to rise makes it even more challenging.”
The report also found Nebraska families spend about 23% of their income on child-related expenses—the second most in the country behind Hawaii. While daycare costs dipped slightly nationwide, Schulz said Nebraska is seeing the opposite trend, driven in part by limited childcare availability.
“A lot of states are what we call childcare deserts,” he said. “There’s just not enough supply to meet demand.”
The study looks at costs including housing, food, childcare, transportation and other essentials.
View the full report at lendingtree.com.