Middle-income families can expect to spend $204,060 on feeding, housing and schooling¹ a child born in 2007 until his or her 18th birthday, the U.S. government reported on Monday.
 
Middle-income families can expect to spend $204,060 on feeding, housing and schooling a child born in 2007 until his or her 18th birthday, the US government reported on Monday.

Child care and education costs will represent a larger share of costs for raising the '07 baby through adulthood² than they have in the past, the Agriculture Department said in an annual study on child-rearing costs.

"The cost of providing food decreased from 24 percent to 17 percent of total child-rearing costs, while child care and education expenses increased from 2 percent to 12 percent," the department said.

Housing will be the single largest cost for U.S. families -- making up 33 to 27 percent of total expenses across income groups, USDA said.

Factoring in inflation, the grand total for middle-income families comes to $269,040, USDA said. Total costs also include transportation, health care, and other necessities.

Child-rearing costs have soared since USDA began conducting its annual study in 1960, and can vary dramatically according to a family's income.

Families making less than $45,800 before taxes can expect to spend less, $148,320 in real terms over the course of their child's first 17 years. Those on the other end of the income spectrum³, making more than $77,100 a year, will spend $298,680 in 2007 dollars on raising their '07 child.

Even though the study does not include the cost of college, USDA found that children get more expensive as they get older. Teenagers were the most costly⁴.

The department also noted⁵ that child-rearing costs are the greatest in the urban West, and lowest in the urban Midwest and rural areas across the country.

 
据美国政府本周一称，对于美国中等收入家庭而言，要抚养一个2007年出生的孩子至18岁，预计在食物、住房和教育方面的支出需要20.406万美元。

美国农业部的子女养育成本年度调查结果显示，与过去相比，要将一个2007年出生的孩子抚养成人，其保育和教育开支在总支出中所占的比重增大。

美国农业部称：“食物成本在子女养育总成本中所占的比重从24%下降至17%，而保育和教育成本则从2%上升到了12%。”

据介绍，住房支出将成为美国家庭最大的单笔开销——占各收入阶层家庭支出的33%至27%不等。

美国农业部称，如将通胀因素考虑进去，中等收入家庭将一个2007年出生的孩子抚养成人需要26.904万美元，这其中还包括交通费、医疗费和其它必需开支。

自美国农业部1960年开展这项年度调查以来，美国的子女养育成本大幅增长，同时这也会因家庭收入的不同而出现很大差别。

税前年收入不足4.58万美元的家庭在抚养孩子上的花费相对较少，预计17年的实际总支出为14.832万美元；而年收入超过7.71万美元的高收入家庭的育儿开支预计将达到29.868万美元。

虽然调查未将上大学的成本计算在内，但美国农业部发现，随着孩子年龄的增长，他们需要用钱的地方越来越多。孩子在十几岁时花销最大。

美国农业部还指出，从全国来看，西部城市养育子女的成本最高，中西部城市和农村地区最低。

Vocabulary: 

factor in:将……因素计算在内