Last year's kids to cost about $250,000

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WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- Middle-class U.S. parents who had children in 2010 can expect to spend $250,000 raising them to 18, government statisticians said Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated spending at an average of $226,920 per child. That goes up to $286,860 if inflation is factored in.

Like many other things, children are cheaper in bulk. Families with three or more children spend about 22 percent less on each one.

Child-raising expenses also rise with income, presumably because families with more money tend to spend more on housing. Expenses are highest in the northeast, followed by urban areas in the Midwest and west, with the south and rural areas across the country at the rear.

The USDA has been estimated child-rearing costs since 1960. Its figures are often used to determine child support and other legal issues.