Average Cost of Having a Baby in the U.S.

The average cost of having a baby with employer-sponsored health insurance is $20,416 in total medical spending, including $2,743 paid out of pocket for pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care. When you add a child's medical care through age two, the average medical cost of having a baby in the U.S. rises to $36,991, with $4,254 paid out of pocket.

These figures focus on medical and insurance-related costs for people with employer-sponsored coverage. New parents also spend additional money on diapers, formula, clothing, furniture and other baby gear in the first year, which aren't captured in the health care totals. These pregnancy and childbirth costs come on top of standard health insurance premiums families already pay.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 3,628,934 births in the U.S. in 2024, a 1 percent increase from 2023. Most births are vaginal, but 32.4 percent were Cesarean deliveries in 2024, up slightly from 32.3 percent in 2023.

For families with employer-sponsored insurance, the most recent claims data show the following average costs for pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care. These figures come from 2021-2023 claims analysis.

On average, a C-section birth costs about $13,000 more in total health spending than a vaginal delivery and about $500 more out of pocket. Delivery costs include hospital charges and professional services provided by physicians, anesthesiologists and other clinicians during the hospital stay.

Many families pay more than the $2,743 national out-of-pocket average for prenatal care, delivery and postpartum visits combined. The final bill depends on plan design, including deductibles, coinsurance rates, out-of-pocket maximums and whether all services are in network.

Employer health benefits surveys show that deductibles for covered workers have continued to rise, which means many families must meet substantial upfront costs before their health plan pays most charges. Families with high-deductible health plans or medically complex pregnancies often pay much more than the average, especially if complications extend the hospital stay or require additional procedures.

Where you live can change your out-of-pocket costs by nearly $1,700, from $974 in Michigan to $2,685 in Nebraska. Using 2020 claims data for people with employer-sponsored insurance, researchers found that several Great Plains and Southern states clustered at the high end of the range, while some Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes states saw much lower average patient bills.

Choosing the right health plan before pregnancy can help manage these costs. Learn more about selecting health insurance that provides comprehensive pregnancy coverage.

Note: The state-level cost data below comes from a 2020 analysis of out-of-pocket childbirth costs by state for people with employer-sponsored insurance, assuming no complications. More recent national averages from 2021-2023 show higher out-of-pocket costs of $2,563 for vaginal delivery and $3,071 for C-section, so current state averages are likely higher even if relative rankings are similar.

Data for Alabama, North Dakota and Wyoming isn't available in this analysis.

Research on childbirth spending shows that differences across states are driven mostly by price differences, especially for vaginal births, rather than by birth rates or C-section rates alone. Negotiated payment rates and local hospital market power explain much of this variation, with some hospitals and metro areas charging two to four times more than others for similar deliveries.

For families with employer-sponsored insurance, those price gaps translate directly into out-of-pocket bills. Coverage for pregnancy-related benefits such as home visits, genetic screenings, dental care and diabetes monitoring supplies also varies by state, which can change total spending across the full pregnancy and postpartum period.

Medical expenses extend well beyond the delivery itself. For families with employer-sponsored insurance, pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care average $20,416 in total health costs, with $2,743 paid out of pocket.

Children's medical care in the first two years of life adds another $16,575 in total health spending and $1,511 in out-of-pocket costs for families with employer-sponsored plans. Altogether, pregnancy through a child's second birthday averages $36,991 in medical spending and $4,254 out of pocket for families with employer-sponsored insurance.

Understanding how to add your newborn to your health insurance helps ensure coverage starts from day one and reduces the risk of gaps in care or unexpected bills.

For 2025, individual out-of-pocket maximums for marketplace health plans are capped at $9,200 for in-network care. This cap rises to $10,600 in 2026. Learn more about 2026 ACA premium changes and how they may affect your coverage costs. Even if your delivery becomes more complicated and expensive than expected, your in-network out-of-pocket costs on a marketplace plan won't exceed that cap.

For employer-sponsored plans, out-of-pocket maximums vary by design, but most non-grandfathered plans follow federal limits that match or fall below marketplace caps. These limits cap families' financial exposure during high-risk pregnancies or complicated births, though hitting the maximum still represents a major strain and can contribute to medical debt among new parents.

This article uses out-of-pocket and total health care cost data from the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker for pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum care and early childhood medical expenses. The analysis is based on 2021-2023 Merative/IBM MarketScan claims data for people with employer-sponsored insurance and their children up to age two.

State-level delivery cost data comes from the Health Care Cost Institute's 2020 analysis of out-of-pocket childbirth costs by state for people with employer-sponsored insurance, assuming no complications. Data for Alabama, North Dakota and Wyoming wasn't available in that study.

These figures align with other research on employer-sponsored maternity coverage and childbirth price variation. This article focuses specifically on families with employer-sponsored coverage and doesn't reflect costs for people who rely on Medicaid, marketplace plans without employer contributions or who are uninsured.