Maryland Ranks Third in Lending Tree’s “Most Expensive States to Raise a Small Child” List

Lending Tree, a U.S. online loan marketplace company, has created and released a list ranking “How Much is Costs to Raise a Small Child in Each State.”

Researchers from the website analyzed data from several sources to estimate and rank the costs to raise a child in each state and the District of Columbia.

Maryland came in third place in the rankings, falling just behind D.C. and Hawaii, with a cost just over $5,000 more than the National average. Based on their research, it is estimated that basic costs for raising a child in the U.S. equal $20,152 annually, and they’re trending upward (not counting expenses for sports teams, summer camps, birthday parties, and more).

Per the Lending Tree report:

”Basic annual expenses to raise a child (including day care) equal $28,785 in the District of Columbia, more than any other state. Hawaii and Maryland follow at $25,828 and $25,156, respectively, while costs are lowest in Mississippi at $13,596.”

Below you’ll see the full rankings for each state:

The full rankings can be seen here.