Mid-income rural families can figure on spending about $193,590 to raise a child, less than urban ones

Middle-income rural families consisting of two parents earning between $62,500 to $108,210 annually with a child born in 2013 can expect to spend about $193,590 up to age 18 on the child, says the annual Cost of Raising a Child report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Families earning less than $62,500 can expect to spend an average of $145,500, and those earning more than $108,210 can expect to average $307,920. Rural costs are considerably lower than overall costs. (USDA graphic)

Costs are broken down by housing, food, transportation, clothing, health care, child care and education and a miscellaneous category. About 30 percent of costs will go to housing, 18 percent to child care and education, 16 percent to food, 14 percent to transportation, 8 percent to health care and miscellaneous and 6 percent to clothing.

For a middle-income rural family it will cost $10,430 annually for children under 3. For children 3 to 5, annual costs are $9,940; 6 to 8, $10,320; 9 to 11, $10,660, 12 to 14, $11,430; and 15 to 17, $11,750. For lower-income families costs are $8,000 for children under 3, $7,510 for 3 to 5, $7,660 for 6 to 8, $7,960 for 9 to 11, $8,590 for 12 to 14, and $8,780 for 15 to 17.

In one-child households, 21 to 32 percent of expenditures go to the child; in two-child households, 31 to 47 percent is spent on children; in three-child households, it is 38 to 57 percent. (Read more)