1. New Hampshire--New Hampshire is the most expensive state to raise children. New Hampshire's average in-state tuition cost for a four-year program is $14,576 - the highest of any state. In fact, the University of New Hampshire has the highest tuition rates in the nation. New Hampshire also ranks in the top 20 for both child care costs and housing costs.
2. New Jersey--New Jersey has often considered an ideal location to raise a family. But that convenience comes at a price. New Jersey is similar to New Hampshire in that the costs for child care and food are expensive, but it's the housing costs that really cost. New Jersey has a yearly average housing cost of $5,300 per child.
3. Massachusetts--Massachusetts came in third on the list. It ranks high because it has the highest childcare costs of any state in the top five at almost $10,000 a year per child, Massachusetts has a top-five ranking for infants, toddlers and adolescents.
4. Rhode Island--Rhode Island has the same issues as New Jersey. The closeness to both New York and beaches makes it a great place to raise a family, but that will come with high costs. Housing costs run close to $26,000 a year, but what's unique about Rhode Island is that no category comes with an exceptionally high ranking; instead, the costs are spread out evenly across all of them. Rhode Island ranks in the top 15 for tuition costs, childcare costs and housing costs.
5. Vermont--Vermont barely missed out on the fourth spot. The state's annual cost of raising a child comes in at just over $25,000. Vermont also has the highest food costs of any state in the top five with an annual cost of $1,750 per child.
