States Where Child Care Is Most and Least Affordable
When the pandemic hit, workplaces went dark and home offices became the new American job site. Even when employers were allowed to bring their workers back, many chose to keep them working remotely. Part of the reason, of course, was out of concerns with the virus — but a secondary consideration kept offices shuttered, too. With schools closed, parents had to either stay home and work while they cared for their children, or they had to pay for child care.
A new study from GOBankingRates sheds some light on why that second option wasn’t really an option at all for millions of Americans.
Using data from the Economic Policy Institute, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), GOBankingRates identified the cost of child care in each state. It also identifies the 10 states where child care is least affordable and most affordable in the context of each state’s median salary.
Readers should keep in mind that HHS 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.
You Think Inflation Is Bad at the Grocery Store? Try Child Care
The cost of child care was painfully prohibitive long before the word “coronavirus” entered the American lexicon, but the pandemic made a bad situation impossible. According to Fortune, the cost of child care rose by 41% from the time the virus emerged through the start of 2022. It can now easily cost families 20% of their salaries, and families with children under the age of 5 have been hit hardest by the increases.
In a sad twist of irony, those who work in child care tend to be so poorly paid that they’re among those who are least likely to be able to afford it for their own children. Although prices are exorbitant all across America, some states are a whole lot worse than others. Here’s a look at what it costs for parents to find a safe place for their kids to learn and grow across the United States.
States Where Child Care Is Most Affordable
Although these states aren’t technically considered affordable for child care, according to HHS, they are the most affordable options:
| Rank | State | State Median Salary | Cost of Affordable Child Care | Average Cost of Actual Infant Child Care | Salary Percent of Actual Child Care |
| 1 | South Dakota | $59,533 | $4,167 | $6,511 | 10.94% |
| 2 | Alabama | $51,734 | $3,621 | $6,001 | 11.60% |
| 3 | Mississippi | $45,792 | $3,205 | $5,436 | 11.87% |
| 4 | Idaho | $60,999 | $4,270 | $7,474 | 12.25% |
| 5 | Kentucky | $52,295 | $3,661 | $6,411 | 12.26% |
| 6 | South Carolina | $56,227 | $3,936 | $7,007 | 12.46% |
| 7 | Utah | $75,780 | $5,305 | $9,945 | 13.12% |
| 8 | Georgia | $61,980 | $4,339 | $8,530 | 13.76% |
| 9 | Arkansas | $48,952 | $3,427 | $6,890 | 14.08% |
| 10 | North Dakota | $64,577 | $4,520 | $9,091 | 14.08% |
States Where Child Care Is Least Affordable
Ranked from the absolute least affordable to slightly more affordable, child care costs are hitting hard in these states:
| Rank | State | State Median Salary | Cost of Affordable Child Care | Average Cost of Actual Infant Child Care | Salary Percent of Actual Child Care |
| 1 | Massachusetts | $85,843 | $6,009 | $20,913 | 24.36% |
| 2 | Indiana | $57,603 | $4,032 | $12,612 | 21.89% |
| 3 | Minnesota | $74,593 | $5,222 | $16,087 | 21.57% |
| 4 | New York | $72,108 | $5,048 | $15,394 | 21.35% |
| 5 | California | $80,440 | $5,631 | $16,945 | 21.07% |
| 6 | Vermont | $63,001 | $4,410 | $12,812 | 20.34% |
| 7 | Oregon | $67,058 | $4,694 | $13,616 | 20.30% |
| 8 | Illinois | $69,187 | $4,843 | $13,802 | 19.95% |
| 9 | Nebraska | $63,229 | $4,426 | $12,571 | 19.88% |
| 10 | Colorado | $77,127 | $5,399 | $15,325 | 19.87% |
Child Care in All States
Check out the full ranking of child care costs in all states:
| Rank | State | State Median Salary | Cost of Affordable Child Care |
Average Cost of Actual Infant Child Care | Salary Percent of Actual Child Care |
| 1 | South Dakota | $59,533 | $4,167 | $6,511 | 10.94% |
| 2 | Alabama | $51,734 | $3,621 | $6,001 | 11.60% |
| 3 | Mississippi | $45,792 | $3,205 | $5,436 | 11.87% |
| 4 | Idaho | $60,999 | $4,270 | $7,474 | 12.25% |
| 5 | Kentucky | $52,295 | $3,661 | $6,411 | 12.26% |
| 6 | South Carolina | $56,227 | $3,936 | $7,007 | 12.46% |
| 7 | Utah | $75,780 | $5,305 | $9,945 | 13.12% |
| 8 | Georgia | $61,980 | $4,339 | $8,530 | 13.76% |
| 9 | Arkansas | $48,952 | $3,427 | $6,890 | 14.08% |
| 10 | North Dakota | $64,577 | $4,520 | $9,091 | 14.08% |
| 11 | Texas | $64,034 | $4,482 | $9,324 | 14.56% |
| 12 | Louisiana | $51,073 | $3,575 | $7,724 | 15.12% |
| 13 | New Jersey | $85,751 | $6,003 | $12,988 | 15.15% |
| 14 | Tennessee | $56,071 | $3,925 | $8,732 | 15.57% |
| 15 | Florida | $59,227 | $4,146 | $9,238 | 15.60% |
| 16 | Delaware | $70,176 | $4,912 | $11,021 | 15.70% |
| 17 | Oklahoma | $54,449 | $3,811 | $8,575 | 15.75% |
| 18 | Maine | $58,924 | $4,125 | $9,449 | 16.04% |
| 19 | Alaska | $75,463 | $5,282 | $12,120 | 16.06% |
| 20 | Wyoming | $65,003 | $4,550 | $10,647 | 16.38% |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $77,933 | $5,455 | $12,791 | 16.41% |
| 22 | Hawaii | $83,102 | $5,817 | $13,731 | 16.52% |
| 23 | North Carolina | $57,341 | $4,014 | $9,480 | 16.53% |
| 24 | Ohio | $58,642 | $4,105 | $9,697 | 16.54% |
| 25 | New Mexico | $51,945 | $3,636 | $8,617 | 16.59% |
| 26 | Montana | $57,153 | $4,001 | $9,518 | 16.65% |
| 27 | Iowa | $61,691 | $4,318 | $10,378 | 16.82% |
| 28 | Missouri | $57,409 | $4,019 | $10,041 | 17.49% |
| 29 | Arizona | $62,055 | $4,344 | $10,948 | 17.64% |
| 30 | Maryland | $86,738 | $6,072 | $15,335 | 17.68% |
| 31 | West Virginia | $48,850 | $3,420 | $8,736 | 17.88% |
| 32 | Nevada | $63,276 | $4,429 | $11,408 | 18.03% |
| 33 | Kansas | $62,087 | $4,346 | $11,222 | 18.07% |
| 34 | Michigan | $59,584 | $4,171 | $10,861 | 18.23% |
| 35 | Virginia | $76,456 | $5,352 | $14,063 | 18.39% |
| 36 | Washington | $78,687 | $5,508 | $14,554 | 18.50% |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | $63,463 | $4,442 | $11,842 | 18.66% |
| 38 | Rhode Island | $71,169 | $4,982 | $13,696 | 19.24% |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $64,168 | $4,492 | $12,567 | 19.58% |
| 40 | Connecticut | $78,833 | $5,518 | $15,501 | 19.66% |
| 41 | Colorado | $77,127 | $5,399 | $15,325 | 19.87% |
| 42 | Nebraska | $63,229 | $4,426 | $12,571 | 19.88% |
| 43 | Illinois | $69,187 | $4,843 | $13,802 | 19.95% |
| 44 | Oregon | $67,058 | $4,694 | $13,616 | 20.30% |
| 45 | Vermont | $63,001 | $4,410 | $12,812 | 20.34% |
| 46 | California | $80,440 | $5,631 | $16,945 | 21.07% |
| 47 | New York | $72,108 | $5,048 | $15,394 | 21.35% |
| 48 | Minnesota | $74,593 | $5,222 | $16,087 | 21.57% |
| 49 | Indiana | $57,603 | $4,032 | $12,612 | 21.89% |
| 50 | Massachusetts | $85,843 | $6,009 | $20,913 | 24.36% |
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Methodology: For this piece, childcare affordability in each state was determined by: (1)state median salary, sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey; (2)the cost of infant child care as 7% of median salary by state, the definition of “affordable” childcare per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; (3)the actual cost of infant childcare by state, sourced from The Economic Policy Institute; and (4)the percentage of salary average actual infant child care costs make up. These factors were ranked according to actual childcare costs as the smallest percentage of median salary. All data was collected on and up to date as of February 23, 2022.
