U.S. middle-income families with a child born in 2011 can expect to spend 234,900 U.S. dollars on average over the next 17 years, increasing 3.5 percent year on year, according to a new report released on Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The report, conducted by the department's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, said the total amount of the cost covers food, shelter and other necessities to raise a child by middle- income families earning between 59,410 and 102,870 U.S. dollars per year, but does not account for inflation.

Expenses for transportation, child care, education and food saw the largest percentage of increases from 2010, said the report.

Housing costs are the single largest expenditure on a child, averaging 70,560 U.S. dollars or 30 percent of the total for 17 years, said the report. Child care and education, the next two largest expenses, accounting for 18 percent and 16 percent of the total cost respectively. But the education costs do not include the cost of education beyond high school.

For families earning less than 59,410 dollars per year, the cost of raising a child averages at 169,080 dollars. For families earning more than 102,987 dollars, they can expect to spend 389, 670 dollars.

For the year 2011, annual child-rearing expenses per child for a middle-income, two-parent family ranged from 12,290 to 14,320 U. S. dollars.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been estimating the cost of raising a child since 1960. At that point, it cost an average of 25,230 U.S. dollars (roughly 191,720 U.S. dollars adjusted for inflation) to raise a child to age 17.