Childcare Cost by State
Weekly figures are the Child Care Aware of America 2025 state cost survey (annual center-based infant price ÷ 52 weeks, compiled July 2026). Ranges within a state are wide: metro > rural, infant > preschool. Family/home care is typically 30–50% cheaper than these center rates.
Table basis: Child Care Aware / Care.com 2025 center-based price surveys, median city pricing. Infant rooms run ~1.5× the preschool ratio (staff:child 1:4 vs 1:10). Family home care runs 15–25% below center; in-home nanny 40–80% above.
How the math works
- Weekly price per state from the 2025 center-based survey table (age-ratio adjusted: toddler ≈ 80%, preschool ≈ 65% of the infant rate).
- Annual = weekly × 50 (52 weeks minus holiday-week closures, the number billing sheets show).
- % of income compares to the 2025 US median childcare burden (~13% single, ~8% couple), this is the number that tells you your metro is abnormal.
- Break-even = annual childcare cost ÷ (40 × 47), your hourly rate at which working covers the cost of care. Below it, the job pays for the daycare and nothing else.
Cost-cuts that exist: DOL/CCDBG state subsidies (apply via your state's child care agency), employer dependent-care FSA ($5,000 pre-tax), in-home co-op sharing a caregiver across 3–4 families (≈ 35% of center cost).
How much does daycare cost per month?
US median: ~$1,400/mo for an infant, ~$1,000/mo for a preschooler in center care. The coasts run $2,000–2,600/mo infant; the lower-cost states run $750–1,000.
What % of income goes to childcare?
Federal affordability threshold is 7% of income; most US families with an infant pay 12–20%. In the ten most expensive metros, one infant alone passes 20% of a median household income, the row shows you exactly where you sit.
Is stay-at-home cheaper than daycare?
Arithmetically it depends on your hourly rate vs the per-hour cost of care, the break-even row computes it. The full decision adds career compounding, benefits, and the second income's retirement math; the calculator gives the cash-flow half.