With both parents working in more than two-thirds of families with children, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on Child Care Costs by State to put a spotlight on the places where taking care of children puts the biggest strain on Americans’ finances.
To identify the states with the highest and lowest child care costs, WalletHub analyzed the prices of family-based and center-based child care and adjusted them by the median income.
| Highest % of Income Spent (Married Couples) | Lowest % of Income Spent (Married Couples) | |
| 1. New York | 42. Georgia | |
| 2. New Mexico | 43. Alaska | |
| 3. Washington | 44. Alabama | |
| 4. Oregon | 45. Louisiana | |
| 5. Vermont | 46. Kentucky | |
| 6. California | 47. North Dakota | |
| 7. Rhode Island | 48. Utah | |
| 8. Hawaii | 49. Mississippi | |
| 9. Colorado | 50. South Carolina | |
| 10. Massachusetts | 51. South Dakota | |
| Highest % of Income Spent (Single Parents) | Lowest % of Income Spent (Single Parents) |
| 1. District of Columbia | 42. Iowa |
| 2. New York | 43. Arizona |
| 3. Massachusetts | 44. Nebraska |
| 4. Vermont | 45. North Dakota |
| 5. Rhode Island | 46. Maine |
| 6. Washington | 47. South Carolina |
| 7. New Mexico | 48. Idaho |
| 8. Oregon | 49. Alaska |
| 9. California | 50. Utah |
| 10. New Jersey | 51. South Dakota |
Key Stats
- New Mexico has the highest cost of family-based child care for a married-couple family, which is 2.3 times more than in South Dakota, the state with the lowest.
- Hawaii has the highest cost of center-based child care for a married-couple family, which is two times more than in South Dakota, the state with the lowest.
- The District of Columbia has the highest cost of family-based child care for a single-parent family, which is 2.9 times more than in South Dakota, the state with the lowest.
- The District of Columbia has the highest cost of center-based child care for a single-parent family, which is 2.5 times more than in South Dakota, the state with the lowest.
Note: All costs are as a share of income.
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/child-care-costs-by-state/151929