Cost of Child Care for Single Mothers

Cost of Child Care for Single Mothers

More than 15 million children below age 6 are in some form of child care in the United States and parents pay a significant portion of their income for child care.

Child care is the biggest expense for many parents with young children, ahead of housing and food. Although the federal government provides some child care subsidies for low-income parents, the reality is that parents still pay a significant portion of their income for child care.

And the growing costs have put a tremendous strain on their budgets, especially for those with two or more children. In most states, the average cost of center-based infant care exceeds 30% of median income for single mothers. 1

Massachusetts is the most unaffordable state for single mother families, with full-time center-based infant care costing more than half of their income.

Affordability is a comparison of cost against state median income for a single mother family. State rankings do not include the District of Columbia.

Top 10 Least-Affordable States for Center-Based Infant Care in 2021 #

STATE Average Annual Cost Cost of Care
Massachusetts $21,269 60.4%
New York $18,574 57.7%
Washington $19,200 54.5%
Nebraska $16,640 53.5%
California $18,201 51.8%
Kansas $15,089 50.0%
Illinois $15,600 49.9%
Oregon $15,786 49.7%
New Jersey $17,460 49.6%
Minnesota $17,056 48.1%

The table above shows that the cost of child care as a percentage of their income is simply too high. In fact, in most states, one year of infant day care in a center is more expensive than a year of public college.

Even in less expensive states, single mothers likely couldn't afford the cost of child care at all. Not when they have to spend one third of their monthly income on child care expenses.



Tables below show the ranking of least affordable states for single mothers with a 4-year-old and a school-age child. The states were ranked from least affordable to most affordable, based on the cost of care compared to state median income for a single mother family.

Top 10 Least-Affordable States for Center-Based Care for a 4-Year-Old in 2021 #

STATE Average Annual Cost Cost of Care
New York $15,371 47.7%
Nebraska $14,560 46.9%
Massachusetts $15,768 44.7%
Vermont $14,300 44.0%
West Virginia $9,100 43.3%
New Jersey $15,120 42.9%
Washington $14,844 42.1%
Michigan $11,315 40.3%
Connecticut $13,416 39.1%
Montana $10,400 38.1%

New York's child care, averaging about $15,370 a year, is among the most expensive states to keep your 4-year-old kids in day care here. Nebraska is close behind.



Top 10 Least-Affordable States for a School-age Child in a Center in 2021 #

STATE Average Annual Cost Cost of Care
California $15,075 57.2%
South Carolina $9,781 49.0%
New York $11,144 46.2%
Wisconsin $10,036 42.7%
West Virginia $5,940 37.7%
Idaho $6,762 32.8%
Kentucky $5,460 29.5%
Washington $7,668 29.0%
Texas $6,444 28.4%

California tops the least affordable list for before-/after-school care for a school-age child with 57.2% of the families’ income paying for child care. South Carolina, New York, Wisconsin, and West Virginia round out the top five.

References

  1. Child Care Aware®, 2021 Child Care Affordability Analysis. State rankings do not include the District of Columbia.



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