For many Gen Zers, becoming a “tradwife” is the dream—with even teen girls taking to TikTok and sharing how they’re ditching aspirations of holding down a corporate career, in favor of getting married, having a family, and being supported by a doting partner. But now, research reveals exactly how much a husband (or wife) would need to earn to afford that lifestyle in the U.S.—and perhaps surprisingly, in most states, it’s below six figures.
That’s according to new research from the financial advisory software SmartAsset, which ranked all 50 U.S. states by the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying home to raise a single child.
For the average American family, one parent would need to earn around $80,000 to sustain the other quitting their job to raise one child.
It’s perhaps lower than you’d expect.
Although the researchers say it costs a staggering $40,000 before tax to raise a child, a stay-at-home parent cuts out the single biggest cost: daycare. And of course, the bigger the family, the bigger the salary needed. Plus, this figure is the minimum needed—not counting any extra life extravagances like the annual family holiday, private school, or a bigger home.
