How affordable is child care near me? Search our database of day care prices by county
Kevin CroweOne of the largest struggles families in the U.S. face is finding quality child care they can afford. The search for a center or home-based provider can be overwhelming, and the price tag can be shocking.
Data released recently by the Department of Labor Women’s Bureau, which calculated local child care prices for the U.S., show that families are paying between 8% and 19% of their incomes on child care, amounts the department called “untenable.”
The costs have become increasingly burdensome. A 2011 study from the Census Bureau found families spent around 7% of their incomes on child care. By 2018, only about 2% of the U.S. population lived in counties where the cost of sending an infant to day care cost 7% or less of the median family income, according to the Department of Labor data.
See how your county compares
We’ve taken data from the U.S. Department of Labor showing prices for infant care in most of the country for 2022. About 90% of counties are in the database. In some states, prices are listed for cities that function like counties.
How can I reduce my child care costs?
If you’re a parent, it’s important to know about tax deductions and credits available to you. See whether you are eligible for the dependent care tax credit or others.
High child care prices keep women out of the workforce
High child care costs force some mothers who would otherwise work to stay home to care for their children if the price of care outpaces the income they might earn. In its analysis, the Women’s Bureau found a 1% decline in maternal employment for every 10% increase in child care prices.
The effect on women’s economic well-being can be long lasting.
“If one of the parents stays out of the labor force for three or four years, that cuts into their lifetime earnings and their lifetime earnings trajectory,” said Elizabeth Davis, an economist at the University of Minnesota who studies child care, labor economics and public policy.
“It's been mostly women who have borne that penalty,” Davis said. “That's part of the reason why women's wages and earnings are lower than men's.”
Some places with high poverty rates also have high day care prices
While high child care prices tend to track with median incomes – prices are higher in places with higher earnings – some areas of the country with high poverty rates also face steep day care costs.
In St. Louis, where the median cost to send an infant to a child care center full time was $12,692 in 2022, 18.6% of families live below the poverty line, double the national average of 9%.
In Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, 15% of families live in poverty and the cost of center-based child care for an infant was $18,000 a year. Fresno County, California, and Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, also struggle with high poverty rates and high prices for child care.
What are the effects on parents and children?
High costs mean hard decisions for families on the economic edge.
“Faced with these high prices, families have to settle for a child care setting that they might not feel entirely comfortable with, like an unlicensed provider,” Davis said.
Research has shown that access to quality early childhood care can boost educational attainment and wages, especially for lower-income children.
“In the long term there’s a social cost, as well, if we’re not giving children the opportunity to reach their full potential,” Davis said.
Sky-high costs for day care might also cause a family to have only one child or delay having a second while they absorb the economic hit.