The following information is provided by Graphiq and CareerTrends.
by Nick Selbe
Any parent knows that raising a child is the biggest financial strain one can undertake. Many advocate for increased government welfare for low-income parents, as more than 5 million babies aged 3 or younger are living in households struggling to pay for basic needs, including providing the necessary supply of diapers.
With this in mind, CareerTrends — an employment and career research site powered by the Graphiq network — found the least affordable places for single parents. The data comes from the Economic Policy Institute’s 2015 Family Budget Calculator, which provides an estimate of community-specific costs of childcare, food, healthcare, housing, taxes, transportation and other necessities for different family sizes across 618 locations. The list ranks locations by the monthly dollar amount required for a single adult with two children to meet a secure yet modest living standard. The EPI assumes the ages of the two children to be 4- and 8-years-old.
The national average for the cost of living of single parents under these parameters is $4,818 per month. Six locations have monthly budgets of over $7,000, with Washington, D.C. leading the way at $8,669 per month.
Among the top 50 most expensive locations, most are located in the Northeast, and all have a monthly budget of over $5,400. Four of the top 10 places are located in New York, which features 12 areas in the overall top 50.
Note: In the event of ties, the location with the highest population is ranked higher on the list.
