The latest status symbol of the 1% is a third kid. ‘It has become rarer for everyone else,’ says an economist | Fortune

Affluent American families are increasingly opting for a third child, turning larger households into a marker of privilege as fertility rates diverge by income, Fortune reported. The trend reflects a growing gap in family size between the wealthiest households and everyone else, with an economist noting that a third child "has become rarer for everyone else." The shift matters because it signals how the cost of raising children—childcare, housing and education—is reshaping demographic and spending patterns across income groups. What to watch next is whether rising costs keep squeezing middle- and lower-income family sizes while wealthier households continue to expand.