Life

Is the Tooth Fairy cutting back this year?

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It seems like the Tooth Fairy is still on a budget. (Tweet this)

According to Visa's annual Tooth Fairy survey, American children are getting an average of $3.19 per tooth this year, down 24 cents from the previous year. This is the second year in a row that the average compensation for lost teeth has declined.

Two years ago, the survey said, kids could expect to get a total of $74 for all of their teeth over several years. Now that number is down to $64.

Read More Tooth fairy index: Baby teeth value up 25 percent

"The Tooth Fairy is finally fluttering back to earth," said Nat Sillin, Visa's director of global financial education. "No matter how much is left under the pillow, a visit from the Tooth Fairy is an ideal opportunity to talk with children about the importance of saving and budgeting."

Among the other findings are:

  • About 20 percent of respondents said that the Tooth Fairy left a $5 bill
  • For the second year in a row, fathers reported that the Tooth Fairy left nearly 30 percent more than moms did
  • In the Northeast, 1 in 4 children got $5 or more, and around 1 in 13 got $20 or more for a total Northeast average of $3.56
  • The Midwest had an average of $3.13; the West and South were at $3.09 and $3.07 respectively

The survey results are based on 4,027 telephone interviews conducted nationally from May 28 to June 21, 2015. The margin of error is ± 1.5% at the 95% confidence interval.

Source: Visa