The Tooth Fairy in Minnesota is Paying Out Way Less

Everything is more expensive these days - eggs, gas, daycare. But now it seems even the Tooth Fairy is even trimming the budget. Yep. She’s gone full coupon mode, and Minnesota kids are waking up with a little less sparkle under their pillows.

According to the latest Delta Dental survey, the average value of a lost tooth dropped 14% nationwide in 2025, and here in the Midwest, the Tooth Fairy is paying even less.

Fun fact: in 1998, the going rate was $1.30 per tooth, so technically this is still an upgrade. But if you grew up getting the holy grail of Tooth Fairy treasures - the rare $2 bill or that shiny gold $1 coin - today’s payouts might feel like a bit of a letdown even though it's technically a tad more.

In 2025, the national average sits at $6.24 per tooth, down from $7.09 last year. The South pays out the most with an average $5.71 a tooth. But in Minnesota? Turns out the Midwest Tooth Fairy is definitely pinching pennies, officially making us the lowest-paying region in the country at $3.46 per tooth.

It’s really no shocker that the Tooth Fairy is cutting back a bit in Minnesota, because turns out, we were just named the 7th most expensive state in the country to raise a kid. Yep, according to Consumer Affairs, it costs about $22,000 a year to raise one child here in the North Star State.

Interestingly enough, I came across a different report from last year  that put the number closer to $27,000 a year. And let’s be real… does anything actually get cheaper over time?

So whether it’s $22k or $27k, that’s a pretty hefty price tag for raising just one kiddo. If you’ve got two or more? Whew. That’s a whole lot of mac and cheese and sports fees to cover.

Of course, the biggest money-sucker of them all, no surprise, is child care. According to Minnesota Reformer infant care alone in Minnesota will run you more than $22,000 a year, or almost $1,900 a month. That’s not a typo. That’s a mortgage payment. Yikes!

Related: Here's The Salary You Need to Be Considered Upper-Middle Class in Minnesota

No wonder parents joke about picking up a second job just to afford daycare. Honestly, the Tooth Fairy might need one too.

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