時尚雙語:養育子女成本逾20萬美元

養育子女成本逾20萬美元

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 adulthood 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 spectrum, 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 costly.

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

據美國政府本週一稱，對於美國中等收入家庭而言，要撫養一個2007年出生的孩子至18歲，預計在食物、住房和教育方面的支出需要20.406萬美元。

美國農業部的子女養育成本年度調查結果顯示，與過去相比，要將一個2007年出生的孩子撫養成人，其保育和教育開支在總支出中所佔的比重增大。

美國農業部稱：“食物成本在子女養育總成本中所佔的比重從24%下降至17%，而保育和教育成本則從2%上升到了12%。”

據介紹，住房支出將成爲美國家庭最大的單筆開銷——佔各收入階層家庭支出的33%至27%不等。

美國農業部稱，如將通脹因素考慮進去，中等收入家庭將一個2007年出生的孩子撫養成人需要26.904萬美元，這其中還包括交通費、醫療費和其它必需開支。

自美國農業部1960年開展這項年度調查以來，美國的子女養育成本大幅增長，同時這也會因家庭收入的不同而出現很大差別。

稅前年收入不足4.58萬美元的家庭在撫養孩子上的花費相對較少，預計17年的實際總支出爲14.832萬美元；而年收入超過7.71萬美元的高收入家庭的育兒開支預計將達到29.868萬美元。

雖然調查未將上大學的成本計算在內，但美國農業部發現，隨着孩子年齡的增長，他們需要用錢的地方越來越多。孩子在十幾歲時花銷最大。

美國農業部還指出，從全國來看，西部城市養育子女的成本最高，中西部城市和農村地區最低。