Family life

Raising children in Dallas is surprisingly affordable, study finds

Raising a family in Dallas-Fort Worth is much more affordable than in most other American cities.

For those considering starting a family, it's important to know the financial realities of raising a child. In Dallas-Fort Worth- Arlington, the annual costs of raising just one child can add up to nearly $22,000 per year.

That's according to a new annual report by SmartAsset that examined the costs of childcare across 50 of the biggest metropolitan areas in America.

DFW's total figure of $21,926 may seem like a high price tag, but raising a child in Dallas is actually more affordable than in most other U.S. metros: DFW came in at No. 16 on the list for the lowest yearly childrearing costs out of all 50 cities in the report.

According to the report, two of the biggest expenses for families in Dallas are:

$10,396 for childcare
$3,002 for additional housing

Compare that to than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts, which came in at No. 1 with the highest annual cost for raising a child: $37,758. The national average is $25,181 per year.

"Understanding the costs associated with raising a child is essential, not only for personal financial planning but also for shaping public policies that support family well-being," the report's author wrote. "But the costs for childcare, additional housing, food, medical necessities, and other expenses vary widely, with the total price tag adding up much higher in some places."

Childcare costs around Texas
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown leads as the most expensive metro area in Texas for raising a child, with annual costs adding up to $22,406. The report doesn't go in depth to explain how it came up with that amount, but it does specify that childcare costs are $10,247 per year, with $3,485 dedicated to "additional housing."

Other cities in Texas did better: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land came out to $21,396, and San Antonio-New Braunfels' childcare costs were slightly less expensive, at $21,014 yearly.

To determine the rankings, SmartAsset compared the annual costs of a household with two working adults and one child to the annual costs of a childless household with two working adults. The MIT Living Wage Calculator was used to determine the cost of each city's medical expenses, transportation, food, and more. Notably, costs for schooling were not specified.

The full report can be found on smartasset.com.

families smartasset reports budgeting family friendly dallas fort worth arlington

License News

Texas rolls out new less colorful driver license design

dps.texas.gov

The new cards are meant to be harder to reproduce and easier to read.

Texas has unrolled a new drivers license design which is a little more beige than its predecessor. According to a release, the Texas Department of Public Safety launched new designs for the Texas driver license as well as identification cards on August 18 with both a new look and enhanced security.

It replaces the current design which has been in place since 2020.

“The way driver licenses are made can make a big difference in terms of public safety,” says DPS Driver License Division chief Sheri Gipson in a statement. “This new card design will make it even more difficult for criminals to produce counterfeit cards, and it enhances ways we can protect Texans’ identities from being stolen.”

Like the previous model, the new cards are made of tamper-resistant polycarbonate material which complies with standards maintained by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), and is difficult to reproduce.

Most notably, the art has changed. The previous design was more colorful, featuring a red-white-and-blue flag in the upper left corner, as well as a red-white-and-blue silhouette of the state of Texas. That's been replaced with a Texas gold star state seal, and they've added an image of galloping horses along the bottom.

They also changed the design of the Real ID star. Real ID is a federal program requiring that state-issued IDs or driver's licenses meet security standards, outlined in a 2005 law passed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On the previous license design, the Real ID star was gold. The new design features a black star in the upper right corner which will also be laser-engraved.

The personal information included on the card has been rearranged into what DPS says is an easy-to-read format for identification and verification purposes. Changes include placing the date of birth on the same line as the drivers license number, making the issuance and expiration dates larger, and moving the organ donor symbol.

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