Jackson– The United States Department of Agriculture states that southern and rural parts of the country pay a lot less than the rest of the country to raise children.
$245,000 may be more than you’re bringing home, but the USDA says that’s how much it can cost on average to raise one child to 18 years old–and that’s if you don’t offer to help with college. In Mississippi you’ll pay a lot less.
“Products are just cheaper here,” says Dr. Thomas Taylor, professor of Family and Consumer Sciences at Delta State University, “Gasoline is cheaper, housing is cheaper.”
In rural areas, many extracurricular activities may be too far from the home for kids to participate and there can be less private schools but Dr. Taylor doesn’t think that this is the biggest difference.
“If you take your child to piano lessons in the Delta, the teacher may charge $25 an hour. But if you go up north, you may pay $50. It’s just more expensive but for the same product,” Dr. Taylor adds that just because we pay less, doesn’t mean we keep our children from thriving.
“It’s not that we are doing less for our children. The products and the extras involved, where the money spent, just cost less.”
Daycare, groceries and housing are all cheaper in Mississippi and that also contributes to raising your child.
