Here’s where New Jersey ranks for the cost of having a child

If you’re a parent, you already know that the birth of a child is wonderful, magical, and life changing. It’s one of the best things to happen in life. It’s also expensive. Very expensive.

Even if you have insurance, the cost can be daunting, especially if you have unexpected complications throughout the pregnancy and delivery.

Health insurance, childcare, unexpected medical fees: the cost of having a child goes far beyond labor and delivery. Having a child costs between $21,000 and $37,000 in the first year, depending on where you live.

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It turns out it’s more expensive in New Jersey than it is in all but a handful of states. A site called Quote Wizard added up the numbers to find which are the most expensive states to have a child. They looked at the cost of the insurance itself, the cost of childbirth, and the cost of childcare.

New Jersey is 7th for the most expensive state to have a child; here’s how it breaks down:

Health insurance- $5868
Childcare- $11,922
Childbirth- $14,856
Total: $32,656

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Compare that to the national averages:

Childbirth: $11,782
Childcare: $10,075
Health insurance: $5,048

The most expensive state to have a child is Alaska, followed by Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi are the cheapest states to have a child.

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Methodology: Health insurance data is based on QuoteWizard insurance cost data. Bronze, Silver and Gold plans were averaged and the annual cost was calculated via the monthly rates. Childcare data was provided by the Economic Policy Institute. The average cost of childbirth was provided by Policy Scout. These figures were based on vaginal and C-section birth costs with and without insurance, and then were averaged to find the overall cost of childbirth per state.

KEEP READING: Here are the most popular baby names in every state

Using March 2019 data from the Social Security Administration, Stacker compiled a list of the most popular names in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., according to their 2018 SSA rankings. The top five boy names and top five girl names are listed for each state, as well as the number of babies born in 2018 with that name. Historically common names like Michael only made the top five in three states, while the less common name Harper ranks in the top five for 22 states.

Curious what names are trending in your home state? Keep reading to see if your name made the top five -- or to find inspiration for naming your baby.

The 30 best rated schools in New Jersey

Here are the top 30 schools statewide, based on their 2021-2022 New Jersey School Performance Reports — involving scores for language arts, math and attendance. (For an explanation of how the state calculates the "accountability indicator scores" and overall rating for each school, see page 90 of this reference guide.)

The 30 worst rated schools in New Jersey

Here are the 30 lowest-rated schools statewide, based on their 2021-2022 New Jersey School Performance Reports — involving scores for language arts, math and attendance. (For an explanation of how the state calculates the "accountability indicator scores" and overall rating for each school, see page 90 of this reference guide.)

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

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Source: Here’s where New Jersey ranks for the cost of having a child