The tooth fairy apparently understands what is going on with the economy.

The Original Tooth Fairy Poll shows that parents’ payments to their children when they lose a tooth declined 11 percent from a year ago.

Kids in the West make out best, getting $4.85 per tooth. (That’s probably boosted by the fact that kids in Silicon Valley get $1,000 a tooth.)

Kids in the Northeast make out second best at $4.35.

The poll, sponsored by Delta Dental, has moved in the same direction as the S&P 500 in 12 of the past 14 years.

And, by the way, I made up that number for Silicon Valley. Kids there hire other children to lose teeth for them.