For one young Austin couple, the financial milestone they want to reach before having children is unusually high: a combined annual income of about $350,000.
Matthew and Brooke Bennett told Business Insider in 2024 that they were earning a combined $180,000 but wanted greater financial security before starting a family. Their personal target should not be mistaken for a typical income requirement for parenthood. Instead, their story illustrates a broader question confronting young adults: how financially secure should a couple be before having children?
U.S. demographic and childcare data show that the pressures behind that question extend well beyond one high-income household. Americans have increasingly delayed parenthood, while childcare remains a major expense for families that use paid care.
One Couple’s $350,000 Goal
The Bennetts’ story was originally reported by Business Insider in May 2024.
Matthew, then 25, worked as a mining equipment brokerage representative, while Brooke, 26, was an administrative manager. The couple said their combined annual income had risen from about $67,000 before they married in 2021 to approximately $180,000.
Their original goal had been to earn at least $150,000 before having their first child. After reaching that milestone, Matthew told Business Insider that he wanted their income to reach about $350,000 by the time their first child was born.
The couple also wanted to buy a house and open a coffee shop.
Their spending choices showed that the target was not simply about covering the minimum cost of raising a child. They wanted to preserve a lifestyle they enjoyed while giving future children financial security and opportunities.
That distinction matters. There is no universal income level couples must reach before having children, and $350,000 should not be treated as a benchmark for American families.
Americans Are Having Children Later
The broader trend toward delayed parenthood, however, is supported by federal data.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2025 that the share of women without children increased across most younger age groups between 2014 and 2024.
Among women ages 20 to 24, the share who had not had children increased from about 75% in 2014 to 85% in 2024. Among women ages 25 to 29, it rose from about 50% to 63%, according to U.S. Census Bureau fertility data.
The Census Bureau cautions that delayed childbearing does not necessarily mean those women will remain childless. In fact, childlessness declined among women ages 45 to 50 over the same period, suggesting that some births are taking place later rather than disappearing entirely.
That makes the trend more nuanced than simply saying young Americans no longer want children.
For many, the timing of parenthood is changing.
Childcare Adds a Major Financial Consideration
One reason financial preparation matters is the cost of childcare.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s National Database of Childcare Prices found that full-day paid care for one child ranged from $6,552 to $15,600 annually in 2022, depending on the child’s age, type of care and location.
That represented between 8.9% and 16% of median family income. In some circumstances, childcare cost more than rent.
The Labor Department’s childcare analysis also shows why national averages can be misleading. Prices vary considerably by county, whether care is provided at a center or home, and whether the child is an infant, toddler or preschooler.
Housing, healthcare, transportation and lost or reduced earnings can add further financial considerations, although their impact differs dramatically between households.
A couple with nearby relatives providing childcare, for example, faces a different calculation from two parents paying for full-time infant care.
Financial Security Is Becoming Part of Family Timing
The relationship between work and family formation is also changing as younger adults spend more time establishing careers.
That matters in an economy where flexible and nontraditional work arrangements have become increasingly prominent. Gignomist’s reporting on remote and hybrid work examines how workplace flexibility is changing careers, including for workers balancing employment and caregiving.
Alternative forms of employment can create opportunities for flexibility, but income predictability, benefits and career stability can also affect long-term financial decisions. Gignomist has separately examined those tradeoffs in its analysis of the changing gig economy.
For prospective parents, the calculation can therefore involve more than a salary target. Job security, housing, childcare availability, savings, health insurance and family support can all affect when starting a family feels financially manageable.
$350,000 Is a Personal Target, Not a Formula
The Bennetts’ $350,000 goal is notable precisely because it is so specific.
It represents one couple’s desired level of financial comfort, lifestyle and preparation—not a recommended threshold for parenthood.
Their experience nevertheless fits into a larger demographic shift. Census data show that Americans are increasingly postponing childbirth during their 20s and early 30s, while federal childcare data document the significant costs faced by families using paid care.
Those trends help explain why financial planning can play an increasingly visible role in decisions about when to have children.
But there is no single number that defines readiness.
For some households, the priority may be reaching a particular income. For others, it may be securing stable housing, reducing debt, finding affordable childcare or establishing a more flexible career.
The more meaningful change is not that Americans suddenly believe they need $350,000 before having children. It is that economic security has become an increasingly important part of how many young adults think about the timing of parenthood.
