Business & Tech
Recession Takes Toll on Tooth Fairy
A new Visa Inc. study finds that the Tooth Fairy is cutting back on under-the-pillow loot, which drops from last year's $3 to $2.60 per tooth.
Gold is up, but the tooth market is in a slump.
So says a nationwide survey by Visa Inc., which found the average amount of money left under pillows by the Tooth Fairy dropped to $2.60 this year—a 40 cent decrease from $3 in 2010.
The only region unaffected by the molar market decline was the West, where per-tooth prices edged up from $2.70 to $2.80.
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No state-by-state breakdown was available for the survey, which was based on 1,006 telephone interviews conducted in early July.
Region 2011 Tooth Fairy Survey Results East $2.10 South $2.60 Midwest $2.80 West $2.80 National $2.60Economists blamed the reclusive Tooth Fairy's troubles on the recession.
Find out what's happening in Hermosa Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On the plus side, taxpayers won't have to foot the bill for a Tooth Fairy pension plan, because the creature cannot retire.
Other survey findings:
- 10 percent of children receive no money from the Tooth Fairy, up from 6 percent a year ago.
- 18 percent of children receive $5 per tooth, versus 22 percent last year.
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