10 Most Expensive States to Raise a Family

by Elyssa Kirkham, GoBankingRates.com, November 9, 2015

Raising a family isn't cheap. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that the average cost of raising a child is $245,340. But that number is just an average. For many Americans, raising a family will actually cost much more, especially if they live in a state where the cost of living and other expenses are high.

In these states, family budgets are quickly eaten up by high costs of housing, food and child care, and many don't have high wages to help families offset high costs. Notably, many of these states also lack adequate family leave policies — or have no parental leave laws at all — which can quickly turn a new family addition, job loss or family member's health scare into a financial emergency.

GOBankingRates looked at the major financial factors that affect families, including paid family leave, median state incomes, and housing and food costs, ranking all 50 states on their affordability for families. Click through to see the top 10 states where raising a family costs the most money.

Hawaii #1

Raising a family in the Aloha State comes at a high price. Hawaii takes the No.1 spot as the most expensive state for families due to its notoriously high costs of living. Hawaii has the highest costs of any state for both food and housing. Food costs a whopping 58.2 percent more in this state than the national average, and the median listing price in Hawaii is $539,000. The state also has the sixth-highest child care costs in the nation.

While these high prices are offset somewhat by a higher median income of $60,814 in the state, Hawaii families will still find it harder to balance their budgets than most other Americans. The state has a parental leave policy, but its four weeks of unpaid leave does little to help families who are welcoming a baby or caring for an ailing family member.

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