For a four-year-old, the average cost is slightly less – $841 per month on average. In Alaska, infant care for a single child comes in at an average monthly cost of $1,010. Families in Alabama would benefit significantly from the increased availability of affordable, quality child care in their communities. Minimum wage workers in Alabama make as little as $15,080 per year or less, contributing to Alabama’s poverty rate of 16.9%, the sixth highest in the U.S. The average child care worker in Alabama would have to spend 32% of their gross earnings to put their own child into an infant care program. For the typical Alabama family, child care costs 11.9% of gross income. Monthly Child Care Affordability in Alabamaįamilies in Alabama struggle to find affordable child care. In Alabama, the average monthly cost of infant care is $500 per child, while a month of child care tuition for a four-year-old costs an average of $432. Scroll through our list and find your state (they’re in alphabetical order) to see the average cost and relative affordability of daycare services where you live. As you will see, median family income also varies substantially by state – but there are ZERO states where child care affordability meets the threshold defined by the HHS. Any additional information that parents and child care providers should be aware of with respect to child care costsĪccording to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), child care is considered affordable if it costs no more than 10 percent of gross family income.
If you’re a child care provider, you’ll need to be aware of the average child care cost so you can price your services competitively. If you’re a parent, getting familiar with the average daycare costs near you can help you find the best value and the best deal when seeking care for your family. Understanding the cost of child care in America is important for both parents and child care providers.