Sources
Sources
Every dataset we rely on, with its publisher, the year the data describes, and what it does not tell you. This page is generated from the same registry the pages use, so it cannot fall out of step with them.
Data year matters. Throughout the site we state the year the underlying data describes, not the year we read it. The most important case is the USDA child cost series, which was discontinued and has not been remeasured since its 2015 data year.
A source is listed against a page only if it supplies a figure on that page. Pages built on conventions or on arithmetic over your own inputs say so, and cite nothing.
Expenditures on Children by Families (the "cost of raising a child" report)
U.S. Department of Agriculture · data year 2015 · United States
The series was discontinued after this edition. Later figures quoted anywhere, including ours, are inflation adjustments of it rather than new measurements.
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Consumer Expenditure Survey
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · United States
Household spending by category and family composition. It is the survey the USDA child-cost report was built on.
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USDA Food Plans: monthly cost of food reports (Thrifty, Low-cost, Moderate, Liberal)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion · United States
Updated monthly. Our grocery tiers approximate these four plan levels and are not refreshed monthly.
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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · United States
Median hourly wages by occupation, used to price the roles in the stay-at-home parent calculator.
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The Price of Care: annual child care affordability analysis
Child Care Aware of America · United States
Child care prices vary enormously by state and care type, which is why we ask for your number rather than assuming one.
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Media and Young Minds, and the Family Media Plan guidance
American Academy of Pediatrics · United States
Source of the age bands: avoid screens other than video chat under 18 to 24 months, and about one hour a day of high-quality programming for ages 2 to 5. No hourly figure exists for older children.
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The Common Sense Census: media use by tweens and teens
Common Sense Media · United States
Basis of the "typical usage" figures, which describe what children actually do rather than what is recommended. Our bands are rounded approximations of the reported figures.
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Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid
College Board · United States
Published tuition and fees, and the gap between published and net price after aid.
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Digest of Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics · United States
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Kita fee and Beitragsfreiheit status by Bundesland
Deutscher Bildungsserver · Germany
Twelve of the sixteen states have some form of fee exemption, and the scope differs sharply between them.
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Survey of Learning Expenses (子供の学習費調査)
MEXT · data year FY2023, published December 2024 · Japan
Basis of the roughly 3.3 times ratio between all-private and all-public education paths.
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Found an error?
Please tell us. If a figure here is wrong or out of date we would rather correct it than defend it.