The going rate shifts a little by where you live — from about $5.27 in the Midwest to $6.45 in the Northeast. Here's the full picture.
| Region | Avg / tooth |
|---|---|
| Northeast · highest | $6.45 |
| West | $5.99 |
| South | $5.89 |
| Midwest · lowest | $5.27 |
| United States · national avg | $5.84 |
Two things worth knowing. First, the spread is real but small — every region lands within about a dollar of the national average, so wherever you are, you're not far off the pack. Second, these are averages of what parents report, not targets. They're here to make a 10pm decision easy, not to tell anyone what to pay.
Region explains less than you might expect about why families keep this up at all. In the August 2026 release of the Delta Dental Original Tooth Fairy Poll, 47% of parents said the visit helps maintain family traditions — a reason that doesn't shift with the map, whichever row above is yours.
Whatever your region's everyday average, a first tooth earns a premium — parents nationally leave about $7.17 for it. If tonight's the first one, start there. More on the first tooth →
Wherever you land, the amount matters less than what happens next. LumiJar turns tonight's coins into money habits — and remembers the fairy never forgets.
LumiJarA money-and-healthy-teeth app for growing families, built by a periodontist and UCLA educator.