It costs about $235,000 to raise a child from birth to age 17 in America.  That’s according to a report by the US Department of Agriculture.

Housing was the top expense parents can expect to deal with, followed by child care and education; food; and transportation.

In 1960, the first year the report was produced, a middle-income family would have spent about $25,000 over the 17 years.  But that is $191,720 in today’s dollars.