Yahoo Finance 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.
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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.
Most Affordable States
The 10 states with the most affordable child care are:
South Dakota
North Dakota
New Hampshire
Utah
Maryland
Missouri
Mississippi
Wyoming
Kentucky
Georgia
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Least Affordable
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
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South Dakota
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%
North Dakota
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%
New Hampshire
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%
Utah
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%
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Maryland
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%
Missouri
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%
Mississippi
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%
Wyoming
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%
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Kentucky
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%
Georgia
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%
Hawaii
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%
Iowa
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%
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Minnesota
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%
Virginia
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%
Arkansas
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%
Kansas
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%
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Ohio
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%
Alaska
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%
Delaware
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%
Pennsylvania
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%
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Maine
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%
Alabama
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%
Idaho
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%
Arizona
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%
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Connecticut
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%
Louisiana
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%
Colorado
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%
Oregon
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%
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Florida
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%
Illinois
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%
Indiana
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%
Montana
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%
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Tennessee
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%
Oklahoma
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%
West Virginia
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%
Texas
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%
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Vermont
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%
Wisconsin
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%
Nebraska
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%
South Carolina
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%
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Michigan
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%
Nevada
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%
Massachusetts
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%
New York
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%
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Rhode Island
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%
Washington
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%
North Carolina
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%
New Jersey
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%
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California
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%
New Mexico
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.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Cost of Child Care in All US States
