(NEXSTAR) – The days of families being supported by only one working parent are far behind us as a country. It has officially become the norm for the majority of U.S. families to have both parents working full-time.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 66.5% of married-couple families with children have both spouses employed.
It’s almost a necessity for many families to have both parents working due to the rising cost of raising a child, which has now surpassed $40,000 a year pre-tax, depending on where you live in the country.
For many parents, it’d be a dream to stay at home and raise their children without the help of day care. But what would your spouse have to make for you to become a stay-at-home parent?
A new study from SmartAsset sought to answer this question by identifying the costs of food, housing, healthcare, and other expenses that factor into keeping a family afloat while allowing one parent to stay at home with their children.
The biggest savings come from no longer paying for child care, which can significantly increase the cost of raising a family when both parents work and need outside help.
Where you live also plays a major role, as the cost of maintaining your family varies drastically depending on which state you choose to call home.
At the top of the list is Hawaii, where the single income needed for one parent to stay home is $102,773. However, if both parents work, the added income needed to help raise their child rises to $119,226 in Hawaii.
Other states that landed at the top of the list as the most expensive included California ($97,656), Massachusetts ($97,261), New York ($92,290) and Connecticut ($90,540).
Here are the 20 states that cost the most to have one spouse become a stay-at-home parent, according to SmartAsset.
| Rank | State | Single income needed for one parent to stay home | Income needed across two working parents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $102,773 | $119,226 |
| 2 | California | $97,656 | $115,814 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $97,261 | $124,842 |
| 4 | New York | $92,290 | $111,363 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $90,542 | $115,398 |
| 6 | Washington | $90,459 | $109,741 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $89,918 | $110,448 |
| 8 | Maryland | $87,651 | $104,458 |
| 9 | Colorado | $86,320 | $108,118 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $85,800 | $104,374 |
| 11 | Vermont | $85,488 | $109,242 |
| 12 | Alaska | $84,594 | $103,002 |
| 13 | Arizona | $84,573 | $97,635 |
| 14 | Virginia | $84,261 | $98,176 |
| 15 | Oregon | $84,074 | $104,998 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $83,346 | $102,586 |
| 17 | Utah | $82,410 | $95,098 |
| 18 | Idaho | $82,139 | $92,810 |
| 19 | Maine | $81,786 | $96,720 |
| 20 | Nevada | $81,453 | $96,554 |
As for the other end of the spectrum, states where it was the least expensive to have a stay-at-home parent were West Virginia ($68,099), Arkansas ($68,141), Mississippi ($70,242), Kentucky ($70,408) and North Dakota ($70,949).
If you’d like to see the income needed in your state, you can check out SmartAsset’s website for their full study.