Report: A Blueprint for Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s birth rate is dropping. Polling consistently shows young people are deciding not to grow their families because they financially cannot afford to have kids. Recent estimates show it takes about $32,000/year to raise a child in Pennsylvania. This is alarming for an aging state like Pennsylvania.

Investing in Families to Build a Stronger Economy: A Blueprint for Pennsylvania, a joint report by Children FIrst and the Maternity Care Coalition, offers insights into how other states are getting it right and what Pennsylvania can accomplish in today’s political landscape. These evidence-based policy solutions are aligned with feedback from parents, family-serving organizations, and policymakers regarding what families need.

SOURCES for this report:

• Experiences of Adults Without Kids in the US | Pew Research Center
• Mapped: The Cost of Raising a Child in Each U.S. State in 2025
• The Policy Impact Calculator – Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, Vanderbilt University
• Child and Dependent Care Credit | Department of Revenue | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit | Department of Revenue | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Advancing Intergenerational Mobility Through Early Childhood Economic Security: Examining the Evidence | PolicyLab
• Child Care and Early Learning in Pennsylvania