Tooth Fairy’s Coin Purse Lighter Than Usual

After many successful years, it looks like the Tooth Fairy’s coin purse has tightened up after an all-time high payout in 2016. Kids shouldn't rely on their tooth fairy funds for all their financial needs after the average cash gift has dropped to $4.13 a tooth in 2018.

Despite the average tooth price taking a dive, the Tooth Fairy still dished out a hefty $271 million across the nation in 2017 for all the teeth lost. Luckily, those looking for a cash payout post losing their first tooth are still bringing in an average of $5.70, only a two cent drop from the previous year’s average.

 According to the Original Tooth Fairy Poll, the Tooth Fairy visits 84 percent of the nation’s households with children. While cash seems to be the Tooth Fairy’s go-to gift, leaving cash behind at 95 percent of her stops, 47 percent of parents have reported the Tooth Fairy gifted their children a small toy or game. The Tooth Fairy is also known to have tried her hand at writing notes, 35 percent, and has even left tooth brushes behind, 31 percent of the time.

There seems to be a regional influence in how much the Tooth Fairy pays out. The West sees the highest payouts with $4.85 per tooth, nearly a $2.00 decrease from the average from the first tooth lost ($6.76). The Northeast is a close second at $4.35 ($6.45), followed by the South giving $4.12 a pop ($5.68). The Midwest is at the back of the pack averaging $3.44 a tooth ($4.37).

All information and statistics come from Original Tooth Fairy Poll and PR Newswire.