How much do you need to make to raise a family in Kansas? Here’s what data says

How expensive can it be to raise kids? New data compared how much a family needs to earn to afford the necessities, like food, housing and transportation, across the United States.

A recent SmartAsset.com analysis used the MIT Living Wage Calculator , which is based on February data, to gather the basic cost of living for people with children in every state.

The average minimum income needed to afford necessities for two adults with no kids in the country is $62,766, or $31,383 per person.

Do Kansas parents need to earn more or less than the national average to support their family? Here’s what the data shows.

Minimum income needed for Kansas parents

The MIT study indicates that while the minimum income needed increases for every additional child in the family, the cost per child decreases.

Kansas’ costs for raising a family are on the lower end for the nation.

For example, a family with two parents, one of whom works, and one child, a Kansas couple would need to make around $70,000. In Hawaii, it would take more than $94,000 to support that family.

For two-parent, two-child households in which both parents work, Kansas requires the 10th-least income out of the 50 states with just over $98,000 needed. The most expensive state, Massachusetts, requires about $150,000.

Here’s how much a family in Kansas would need to earn in minimum salary to cover the basic needs in 2024:

• A couple with one working parent and one child: $70,129
  
  
• A couple with one working parent and two children: $80,034
• A couple with one working parent and three children: $84,585
• A couple who both work and have no children: $58,773
• A couple who both work and have one child: $80,253
• A couple who both work and have two children: $98,369
• A couple who both work and have three children: $109,168

The SmartAsset.com analysis says that if one parent stays home to care for children, families can potentially save on child care costs.

“Despite these general trends, the minimum costs required to support a family — such as housing, food, medical care, transportation, and childcare — can vary due to local job and housing markets, city infrastructure and legislation, and even social and cultural influences,” the analysis says.

For single parents, here’s how much the study says you need to make to cover necessities:

• A single parent with one child: $70,773
• A single parent with two children: $87,005
• A single parent with three children: $110,261

For adults with no children, you’d need to make $42,337 to afford the basics as a single person, or $58,773 total as a couple.

You can see how Missouri’s minimum salary needed compares to Kansas here.