Tooth Fairy on a budget, giving less in 2015

Losing a tooth just isn't as lucrative as it used to be.

The Tooth Fairy is leaving an average of $3.19 per tooth under kids' pillows this year, according to an annual Tooth Fairy survey by Visa out Monday. It's the second year in a row the amount for a lost tooth has dropped, down 24 cents from last year. In 2014, the Tooth Fairy left an average of $3.43, down 27 cents from 2013.

In total, kids can expect to earn about $64 for a mouthful of teeth during the entire process of upgrading to adult chompers, down about $10 in the last two years. A lucky few could get several hundred dollars, though — 5% of children get $20 or more per tooth, the survey of more than 4,000 people found. About a third of parents said their kids get $1 per tooth, which is the most popular amount, while 10% said their kids get nothing.

The most profitable  area to lose a tooth is in the Northeast, where kids get an average of $3.56 per tooth — that's where the most kids get $5 and $20 bills, or more. The Tooth Fairy leaves an average of $3.13 in the Midwest, $3.09 in the West and $3.07 in the South.

Follow Hadley Malcolm on Twitter @hadleypdxdc.