The Federal Reserve may have one more reason to worry about not hitting its inflation target. In its sixth annual Tooth Fairy survey Visa found that American children are paid $3.19 per lost tooth on average, that?s down a whooping 24 cents from last year and marks the second consecutive year of declining tooth prices. ?Based on the latest data the average kid can expect to earn $64 of tooth income over the course of his or her career.
?The Tooth Fairy is finally fluttering back to earth,? observed Nat Sillin, Visa?s director of global financial education. ?Visa did not estimate the size of the total under-the-pillow market or how much it contributes to the U.S. economy but it is clear pearly whites are big business. In 2010 FORBES pegged the Tooth Fairy?s net worth at $3.9 billion, in our ranking of the richest fictional characters.
Earlier this summer Visa conducted 4,027 phone interviews to collect the survey data. The credit card giant found that rates varied substantially depending on income, region and whether the fairy-proxy was male or female. For example, moms reported giving $2.87 on average while dads gave $3.63. Kids in the Northeast received $3.56 on average, more than any other region, with more than 25% receiving $5 or more. Southern fairies, on the other hand, gave the least at $3.07.
Read more at?FORBES
