The Cost of Child Care in All US States

Working parents across the United States are finding themselves in the same bind: the steep cost of child care makes it challenging to afford and even potentially prohibitive to utilize.

A newly launched National Database of Childcare Prices by the Department of Labor shows that the people most likely to bear this burden are women. According to the Database’s Women’s Bureau director, Wendy Chun-Hoon, “[W]here childcare prices are high — mothers are less likely to be employed outside the home, even in places with higher wages.”

In general, more affordable child care could have a positive ripple effect on all families, economically, but particularly on low income families.

In order to find the states where child care is the most and least affordable, GOBankingRates analyzed the costs of child care for infants, toddlers and 4-year-olds — as sourced from ChildCareAware’s Child Care Data Center — and assessed what percent of the median income this care equals.

Readers should keep in mind that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines “affordable” as 7% of a person’s income. Using that criteria, not a single one of America’s 50 states offers its residents affordable child care.

The 10 states with the most affordable child care are:

• South Dakota
• North Dakota
• New Hampshire
• Utah
• Maryland
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• Wyoming
• Kentucky
• Georgia

The 10 states with the least affordable child care are:

• Michigan
• Nevada
• Massachusetts
• New York
• Rhode Island
• Washington
• North Carolina
• New Jersey
• California
• New Mexico

• Median family income: $81,470 
• Center-based child care costs: $7,176 
• Family child care costs: $5,429 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 8.81%

• Median family income: $92,658 
• Center-based child care costs: $9,159 
• Family child care costs: $7,802 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 9.88%

• Median family income: $108,126 
• Center-based child care costs: $12,440 
• Family child care costs: $9,559 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 11.51%

• Median family income: $90,852 
• Center-based child care costs: $9,560 
• Family child care costs: $7,840 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 10.52%

• Median family income: $109,912 
• Center-based child care costs: $13,389 
• Family child care costs: $9,606 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 12.18%

• Median family income: $77,490 
• Center-based child care costs: $8,939 
• Family child care costs: $5,646 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 11.54%

• Median family income: $58,870 
• Center-based child care costs: $5,768 
• Family child care costs: $4,182 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 9.80%

• Median family income: $85,188 
• Center-based child care costs: $9,120 
• Family child care costs: $8,347 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 10.71%

• Median family income: $69,789 
• Center-based child care costs: $7,330 
• Family child care costs: $6,271 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 10.50%

• Median family income: $74,554 
• Center-based child care costs: $8,311 
• Family child care costs: $6,803 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 11.15%

• Median family income: $97,843
• Center-based child care costs: $13,580 
• Family child care costs: $8,391 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 13.88%

• Median family income: $83,998 
• Center-based child care costs: $10,659 
• Family child care costs: $7,311 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 12.69%

• Median family income: $102,099 
• Center-based child care costs: $14,948 
• Family child care costs: $8,501 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 14.64%

• Median family income: $99,499 
• Center-based child care costs: $12,384 
• Family child care costs: $10,028 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 12.45%

• Median family income: $62,879 
• Center-based child care costs: $7,069 
• Family child care costs: $5,583 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care:11.24%

• Median family income: $79,922 
• Center-based child care costs: $10,491 
• Family child care costs: $6,912 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 13.13%

• Median family income: $77,866 
• Center-based child care costs: $9,181 
• Family child care costs: $7,656 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 11.79%

• Median family income: $93,147 
• Center-based child care costs: $11,746 
• Family child care costs: $9,498 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care:12.61%

• Median family income: $82,015 
• Center-based child care costs: $10,667 
• Family child care costs: $7,771 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 13.01%

• Median family income: $86,506 
• Center-based child care costs: $11,286 
• Family child care costs: $8,451 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 13.05%

• Median family income: $82,578 
• Center-based child care costs: $10,314 
• Family child care costs: $8,342 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 12.49%

• Median family income: $68,813 
• Center-based child care costs: $7,627 
• Family child care costs: $7,193 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 11.08%

• Median family income: $75,343 
• Center-based child care costs: $8,255 
• Family child care costs: $8,321 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 10.96%

• Median family income: $75,061 
• Center-based child care costs: $9,532 
• Family child care costs: $7,556
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 12.70%

• Median family income: $103,943 
• Center-based child care costs: $14,785 
• Family child care costs: $10,925   
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 14.22%

• Median family income: $65,837 
• Center-based child care costs: $8,151 
• Family child care costs: $6,608 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 12.38%

• Median family income: $97,828 
• Center-based child care costs: $14,044 
• Family child care costs: $10,234 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 14.36%

• Median family income: $84,316 
• Center-based child care costs: $10,052 
• Family child care costs: $9,856 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 11.92%

• Median family income: $68,935 
• Center-based child care costs: $8,424  
• Family child care costs: $7,458 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 12.22%

• Median family income: $89,619 
• Center-based child care costs: $13,592 
• Family child care costs: $8,847 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 15.17%

• Median family income: $75,688 
• Center-based child care costs: $11,542 
• Family child care costs: $7,023 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 15.25%

• Median family income: $76,644 
• Center-based child care costs: $10,045 
• Family child care costs: $8,320 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 13.11%

• Median family income: $70,732 
• Center-based child care costs: $9,846 
• Family child care costs: $7,139 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 13.92%

• Median family income: $65,977 
• Center-based child care costs: $8,332 
• Family child care costs: $7,099 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 12.63%

• Median family income: $65,596 
• Center-based child care costs: $8,493 
• Family child care costs: $7,020 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 12.95%

• Median family income: $76,239 
• Center-based child care costs: $9,971 
• Family child care costs: $8,771 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 13.08%

• Median family income: $87,374 
• Center-based child care costs: $13,474 
• Family child care costs: $9,125 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 15.42%

• Median family income: $85,866 
• Center-based child care costs: $12,146 
• Family child care costs: $9,850 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 14.15%

• Median family income:  $84,153 
• Center-based child care costs: $11,700 
• Family child care costs: $10,313 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 13.90%

• Median family income: $69,995 
• Center-based child care costs: $10,591 
• Family child care costs: $7,627 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 15.13%

• Median family income: $78,626 
• Center-based child care costs: $12,348 
• Family child care costs: $8,625 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 15.70%

• Median family income: $71,995 
• Center-based child care costs: $10,294 
• Family child care costs: $8,708 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 14.30%

• Median family income: $116,267 
• Center-based child care costs: $20,045 
• Family child care costs: $13,465 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 17.24%

• Median family income: $88,585 
• Center-based child care costs: $14,491 
• Family child care costs: $10,071 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 16.36%

• Median family income: $87,553 
• Center-based child care costs: $12,913 
• Family child care costs: $10,963 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 14.75%

• Median family income: $96,519 
• Center-based child care costs: $15,296 
• Family child care costs: $11,652 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 15.85%

• Median family income: $74,129 
• Center-based child care costs: $10,450 
• Family child care costs: $9,455 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 14.10%

• Median family income: $112,173  
• Center-based child care costs: $14,993 
• Family child care costs: No Data
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care:13.37%

• Median family income: $90,957 
• Center-based child care costs: $14,776 
• Family child care costs: $11,347 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 16.25%

• Median family income: $59,007 
• Center-based child care costs: $9,243 
• Family child care costs: $8,101 
• Percent of income needed for center-based child care: 15.66%

Andrew Lisa contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: In order to find the states where child care is the most and least affordable, GOBankingRates analyzed the costs of center-based child care and family child care for infants, toddlers and 4-year-olds, as sourced from ChildCareAware’s Child Care Data Center, and calculated the average costs for each type of child care across all child ages. The averages for each category were compared to the state’s median income for families with children as sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. The difference from the median family income and the average cost for each child care category was calculated, scored and weighted at 1.50, the average cost for center-based child care was scored and weighted at 0.75, the average cost for family child care was scored and weighted at 0.75, the family child care cost as percentage of family income was scored and weighted at 0.75, the center-based child care cost as percentage of family income was scored and weighted at 0.75. All the scores were summed and sorted to show the states with the most and least affordable child care. All data was collected and is up to date as of Dec. 7, 2023.