| 摘要 | We’re here today to talk about whether or not family life in America has become unaffordable. In surveys of childbearing intentions, affordability and related financial concerns are one of the most commonly-cited reasons that families give for why they are not having children. And as any parent, or in my case soon-to-be-parent, is acutely aware, kids are indeed expensive. There are diapers, and baby food, and formula, and childcare, and piano lessons, and summer camp, and college, and the cost of a bigger house, and the minivan, and all these costs associated with normal American life.
The most widely-cited statistic on the “cost of raising a child” comes from the USDA. Adjusting for recent inflation since their most recent estimate reflecting 2015 spending, USDA’s numbers suggests that a married, middle-income household in 2018 probably spends almost $260,000 to raise a child. That’s considerably higher than in 1995, when, in inflation-adjusted terms, a married, middle-income household would have spent about $220,000. |
