Childcare cost FAQ

Mississippi had the lowest published center-based infant price in 2024 at $7,696 a year, followed closely by South Dakota at $8,632, per Child Care Aware of America. Family child care runs even lower in most states. Cheapest does not always mean most available: check supply and waitlists locally before relying on a state average.

Yes. A Dependent Care FSA can reimburse licensed daycare, preschool, and before/after-school care for a child under 13 so a parent can work, up to $7,500 pretax per household starting in 2026 (raised from $5,000 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act). It does not reduce the provider's sticker price, only your taxable income.

Many providers offer a sibling discount, but it is a provider-specific policy, not a statewide figure Child Care Aware of America tracks, so this site cannot publish a reliable multi-child discount rate. Ask any provider you are considering directly, and budget using the full per-child price from your state's page as the safer default.

Usually, yes. In California, 2024 center-based infant care averaged $22,628 a year versus $19,022 for family child care, a smaller, licensed home-based program. The gap holds in most states this site tracks, though it is not universal: check your own state's page, since a few states show the two closer together.

Full-time center-based infant care averaged $13,011 a year in Florida and $22,628 in California in 2024, roughly $1,085 to $1,886 a month, per Child Care Aware of America. There is no single national monthly number worth quoting: the price swings by thousands of dollars a year depending on state, so check your own state's page.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has suggested 7% of household income as an affordability benchmark, but Child Care Aware of America's 2024 data shows the real share running far higher in many states, sometimes over 40% at median income. There is no single right number: use the budget calculator with your own income and state.

In many states, yes. In the District of Columbia, 2024 center-based infant care cost $26,193 a year against $8,636 for average in-state public college tuition and fees, over three times as much. Use the budget calculator to see the real comparison for your own state, since it flips in a handful of high-tuition states.

The District of Columbia had the highest published center-based infant price in 2024 at $26,193 a year, with Massachusetts close behind at $26,343 for toddler care. Both are more than three times Mississippi's price for the same category. High-cost-of-living states dominate the top of the list, not a single region.

Childcare is labor-intensive and state-regulated child-to-staff ratios are lowest for infants, so a center needs more paid staff per child than almost any other service business. Rent, insurance, and licensing add further fixed cost, and unlike a school, a childcare center gets little to no public funding to offset it.

New Mexico does not run a childcare market rate survey, so Child Care Aware of America publishes no statewide price figure for it. Rather than estimate a number from a neighboring state, this site marks New Mexico not published and shows its median household income only, sourced separately from the Census Bureau.