WASHINGTON, D.C. : Cost to Raise Child to Age 18 Put at $145,320

U.S. families will spend a hefty average of $145,320 to feed, clothe, house and school a child born in 1995 to age 18, a federal report estimated. The figure was up 6.6% from the previous year. The annual cost of raising a child ranged from $7,610 to $8,710. Child-rearing expenditures were estimated to be highest in the urban West, an average $157,020, followed by $151,470 in the urban Northeast. The urban Midwest was the lowest at $136,830. A family in the urban South would spend $148,260. The Agriculture Department, which publishes the report, said it aided states in setting child-support guidelines.