Child care costs · by state
Child care costs by state
Full-time infant care at a child care center cost an average of $26,343 a year in Massachusetts and $7,696 in Mississippi, the highest and lowest in Child Care Aware of America’s 2024 price survey. Home-based family child care is usually cheaper. New Mexico made child care free for all families in November 2025.
| State | Center: infant | Center: toddler | Home-based: infant | Home-based: toddler |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama* | $8,632 | $8,424 | $7,670 | $7,527 |
| Alaska | $12,107 | $11,304 | $10,809 | $9,265 |
| Arizona | $15,964 | $13,390 | $10,920 | $10,400 |
| Arkansas | $9,178 | $8,801 | $7,963 | $7,727 |
| California* | $22,628 | — | $19,022 | — |
| Colorado | $20,978 | $17,479 | $13,666 | $13,666 |
| Connecticut | $18,492 | $18,829 | $14,305 | — |
| Delaware | $16,617 | $14,668 | $10,997 | $10,358 |
| District of Columbia | $26,193 | $24,087 | $21,382 | $21,022 |
| Florida* | $13,011 | $11,461 | $11,201 | $10,185 |
| Georgia | $11,066 | $10,537 | $8,407 | $8,043 |
| Hawaii | $24,115 | $18,852 | $11,632 | $11,148 |
| Idaho | $10,608 | $9,996 | $7,380 | $7,308 |
| Illinois | $19,807 | $18,736 | $12,283 | $12,283 |
| Indiana | $16,478 | $16,002 | $9,508 | $9,102 |
| Iowa | $12,694 | $11,729 | $8,596 | $8,443 |
| Kansas | $15,156 | $11,071 | $7,639 | $6,890 |
| Kentucky | $12,740 | $12,220 | $9,880 | $9,360 |
| Louisiana* | $10,847 | $9,997 | — | — |
| Maine* | $15,730 | $14,820 | $11,830 | $11,206 |
| Maryland | $25,321 | $22,594 | $15,919 | $15,676 |
| Massachusetts | $26,343 | $24,314 | $17,510 | $17,511 |
| Michigan | $13,454 | $13,555 | $9,458 | $9,959 |
| Minnesota | $20,421 | $18,042 | $9,821 | $9,434 |
| Mississippi* | $7,696 | $7,254 | $6,188 | $5,980 |
| Missouri | $13,780 | $11,700 | $9,984 | $8,996 |
| Montana | $15,080 | $15,080 | $11,700 | $11,700 |
| Nebraska | $18,147 | $17,184 | $13,383 | $13,383 |
| Nevada | $12,659 | $11,442 | $9,703 | $9,239 |
| New Hampshire | $16,040 | $14,870 | $11,708 | $11,432 |
| New Jersey* | $20,213 | $19,448 | $12,502 | $11,113 |
| New Mexico | Free for all families since Nov 1, 2025 (universal child care) | |||
| New York | $20,439 | $18,661 | $16,415 | $15,616 |
| North Carolina | $12,370 | $11,694 | $9,961 | $9,591 |
| North Dakota | $12,299 | $11,580 | $10,141 | $9,801 |
| Ohio | $13,780 | $12,376 | $10,556 | $10,192 |
| Oklahoma | $10,809 | $10,060 | $9,399 | $9,122 |
| Oregon | $19,500 | $17,368 | $15,808 | $13,832 |
| Pennsylvania* | $14,910 | $14,180 | $10,994 | $10,428 |
| Rhode Island* | $18,486 | — | $14,300 | — |
| South Carolina | $10,474 | $10,308 | $8,126 | $7,449 |
| South Dakota | $8,632 | $8,632 | $6,822 | $6,822 |
| Tennessee | $13,126 | $12,063 | $9,415 | $9,430 |
| Texas* | $11,349 | $10,921 | $10,010 | $9,957 |
| Utah | $14,160 | $11,328 | $10,800 | $8,700 |
| Vermont | $18,710 | $17,988 | $12,395 | $11,952 |
| Virginia | $16,796 | $15,964 | $13,052 | $12,480 |
| Washington | $21,348 | $19,236 | $18,000 | $16,200 |
| West Virginia* | $10,439 | $9,903 | $8,565 | $7,762 |
| Wisconsin | $17,963 | $18,239 | $12,319 | $14,743 |
| Wyoming* | $12,784 | $11,897 | $10,704 | $10,278 |
* State did not answer the 2025 survey; figure comes from its latest market rate survey. — means not reported. Source: Child Care Aware of America, Child Care in America: 2024 Affordability Analysis (Tables I and II). New Mexico: NM Early Childhood Education and Care Department. National average: Child Care Aware of America’s May 2026 report (2025 data).
How much of a typical income does that take? Our Baby Money Report 2027 ranks every state by infant care price as a share of median household income: 25.1% in Massachusetts, about 19% in the middle state.
How to lower the bill
A dependent care FSA through your employer lets you pay up to $7,500 of care with pre-tax money in 2026 (up from $5,000). The Child and Dependent Care Credit covers 20% to 50% of up to $3,000 in care costs for one child. You can use both, but the same dollars can’t count twice. Details: baby tax benefits for 2026.
See what care costs for your family, with leave and tax credits, in the baby budget calculator. Dataset: JSON.
Last verified October 5, 2026 against official sources: Child Care Aware of America.
Cite this page: This Mom, “Child Care Costs by State”, thismom.com/child-care-costs/ (updated ). Data free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to the page.