Cost of a Baby's First Year, by State
How much does a baby's first year cost in each state?
A baby's first year is really two bills: the childcare bill, which swings wildly by state, and everything else, which costs about the same wherever you live. This page adds them up for all 50 states: full-time infant care at your state's prices, plus health care, feeding, diapers, gear and clothing at national averages. Find your state, then treat the total as a savings target with a head start: the one-time gear and the health care bill land early, while childcare, diapers and feeding spread across the year.
A baby's first year is really two bills: the childcare bill, which swings wildly by state, and everything else, which costs about the same wherever you live. This page adds them up for all 50 states: full-time infant care at your state's prices, plus health care, feeding, diapers, gear and clothing at national averages.
Every state, ranked by first-year total
| State | First year total | Per month | Infant childcare / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $29,992 | $2,499 | $21,187 |
| Colorado | $29,783 | $2,482 | $20,978 |
| Alaska | $29,385 | $2,449 | $20,580 |
| Massachusetts | $27,473 | $2,289 | $18,668 |
| Connecticut | $27,473 | $2,289 | $18,668 |
| California | $26,529 | $2,211 | $17,724 |
| Rhode Island | $25,370 | $2,114 | $16,565 |
| Indiana | $25,283 | $2,107 | $16,478 |
| New Jersey | $24,334 | $2,028 | $15,529 |
| Washington | $23,989 | $1,999 | $15,184 |
| New Mexico | $23,049 | $1,921 | $14,244 |
| Vermont | $22,846 | $1,904 | $14,041 |
| Maryland | $22,400 | $1,867 | $13,595 |
| New York | $22,257 | $1,855 | $13,452 |
| New Hampshire | $21,892 | $1,824 | $13,087 |
| Wisconsin | $21,046 | $1,754 | $12,241 |
| Minnesota | $20,557 | $1,713 | $11,752 |
| Maine | $20,128 | $1,677 | $11,323 |
| Nevada | $20,023 | $1,669 | $11,218 |
| Utah | $20,013 | $1,668 | $11,208 |
| Ohio | $19,883 | $1,657 | $11,078 |
| Delaware | $19,783 | $1,649 | $10,978 |
| Arizona | $19,669 | $1,639 | $10,864 |
| Pennsylvania | $19,669 | $1,639 | $10,864 |
| Virginia | $19,210 | $1,601 | $10,405 |
| Illinois | $19,066 | $1,589 | $10,261 |
| North Carolina | $18,903 | $1,575 | $10,098 |
| Michigan | $18,804 | $1,567 | $9,999 |
| Oregon | $18,621 | $1,552 | $9,816 |
| Florida | $18,374 | $1,531 | $9,569 |
| Nebraska | $18,206 | $1,517 | $9,401 |
| Iowa | $18,143 | $1,512 | $9,338 |
| Montana | $17,788 | $1,482 | $8,983 |
| Oklahoma | $17,787 | $1,482 | $8,982 |
| North Dakota | $17,557 | $1,463 | $8,752 |
| Wyoming | $17,225 | $1,435 | $8,420 |
| Texas | $16,976 | $1,415 | $8,171 |
| Missouri | $16,952 | $1,413 | $8,147 |
| Idaho | $16,947 | $1,412 | $8,142 |
| Louisiana | $16,721 | $1,393 | $7,916 |
| West Virginia | $16,708 | $1,392 | $7,903 |
| Tennessee | $16,579 | $1,382 | $7,774 |
| South Carolina | $16,303 | $1,359 | $7,498 |
| Alabama | $16,175 | $1,348 | $7,370 |
| Kentucky | $15,844 | $1,320 | $7,039 |
| Kansas | $15,721 | $1,310 | $6,916 |
| South Dakota | $15,134 | $1,261 | $6,329 |
| Georgia | $14,887 | $1,241 | $6,082 |
| Arkansas | $14,849 | $1,237 | $6,044 |
| Mississippi | $12,955 | $1,080 | $4,150 |
Tap a state for its full breakdown: every cost line, the sources behind it, and what the year looks like with home-based care or family help instead of a center.
Our first year, counted
Our daughter has just finished her first year, so this page is personal: it is the bill I wish someone had shown me before the baby shower. I am Jennifer, and I keep these numbers because planning for a baby is easier with a range you trust than with a scary round figure from a magazine. The state totals combine the Department of Labor's childcare prices with the everyday costs (diapers, feeding, gear, and the rest), and the first-year calculator lets you rebuild the total line by line for your own family and your own quotes.
How to use these numbers
Find your state, then treat the total as a savings target with a head start: the one-time gear and the health care bill land early, while childcare, diapers and feeding spread across the year. Our emergency fund calculator turns the total into a monthly savings goal, the family budget planner shows what the new monthly picture looks like, and the childcare cost calculator compares centers, home-based care and nannies once you have real quotes. Or build your own version with the baby's first year cost calculator, which starts from your state's numbers and lets you swap in home-based care, cloth diapers, a leaner gear list and your own quotes.
Why the state line matters so much
Everything except childcare is the same basket in all 50 states, yet the totals run from $12,955 in Mississippi to $29,992 in Hawaii. That gap is childcare: $4,150 a year at the Mississippi median against $21,187 in Hawaii. Care is people, and people cost what local wages cost.
Frequently asked questions
Which state has the most expensive first year for a baby?
Hawaii, at $29,992 with full-time infant care, driven by the priciest childcare in the country at $21,187 a year. The cheapest first year is Mississippi at $12,955, where infant care runs $4,150 a year. Same baby basket everywhere; childcare writes the difference.
What is included in these totals?
Full-time infant care at a center in your state, plus one national basket: $2,854 average out-of-pocket health care for pregnancy and delivery (Peterson-KFF), $1,981 of feeding, $1,020 of diapers and care supplies, $2,350 of one-time gear, and $600 of clothing. Housing and transportation are not counted; most families absorb a baby into the home and car they already have.
What if we do not pay for childcare?
Then the first year comes to about $8,805 in every state. Many families land between that and the full total: part-time care, a home-based provider (usually cheaper than a center), or family help for part of the week.
Why do three states use a different childcare source?
The federal National Database of Childcare Prices publishes no prices at all for Colorado, Indiana or New Mexico. Their pages use the next best published figures instead: Child Care Aware of America's 2024 Price of Care for Colorado and Indiana, and the Economic Policy Institute's 2024 analysis for New Mexico. Each state page says which source it uses.
Keep exploring
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Sources: Childcare: US Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2023 estimated prices (median infant care at a center), retrieved 2026-10-18; Colorado and Indiana: Child Care Aware of America, 2024 Price of Care; New Mexico: Economic Policy Institute child care cost analysis, 2024. Health care: Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker. Feeding: USDA Food Plans, August 2026. Diapers, gear and clothing: Thrivent, "Baby Costs in the First Year" (updated June 2026), midpoints of published ranges.