This group has America's biggest families, study reveals stunning reversal

Key Points:

• A new report reveals that America's wealthiest families are now the most likely to have three or more children, with about half of the top 1% having larger families, reversing previous demographic trends.
• The high cost of raising a child in the US, averaging $300,000 excluding college tuition, is a significant barrier for median-income families earning $87,000 annually, but is less prohibitive for the top 1% who earn at least $660,000 and have a net worth of $13.7 million.
• Historically, wealthier families tended to have fewer children, but recent studies show that both the richest and poorest families are more likely to have three or more kids, while middle-class families typically have two.
• Despite many Americans expressing a desire for larger families—42% ideally want three or more children—the actual average number of children per woman remains low at 1.6, largely due to financial constraints.
• Experts suggest that affordability, rather than fertility issues, is the primary reason couples are having fewer children than they desire.