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.
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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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